Term 2

At the beginning of this year, our headmistress chose several Class 1 students to join our school. They live in the community and would have attended the local public school where class sizes average 65-80 kids per teacher. They were chosen to join our school based on need and ability as we provide everything for them: books, uniform, breakfast and lunch everyday, and a great teacher who is only responsible for 18 students. In every grade at our school, we invite community students to fill the extra spots until the class size reaches 18. They are guaranteed a spot every year as long as their grades and behavior stay decent.

Needless to say, the transition can be quite intimidating for youngsters, especially when all of a sudden there are so many white people around!

During Term 1, the new kids hardly smiled.  They would whisper hello when spoken to and barely say that they were fine.  They would sit wide-eyed in music class wondering who this crazy white lady was trying to teach them crazy new songs.

Term 2 has been a different story.  Class 1 has come alive.  They are now comfortable in their new surroundings and trust their new teachers.  They are comfortable enough to act out every now and then, laugh and joke, and smile first when meeting.

When I am out and about during recess, I find I am suddenly surrounded by five or six smiling 6-7 year olds who all want to play with my elbows, touch my freckles, feel my fingernails and hold my hands. 

I can't wait to see what Term 3 will be like.



World Record

Happy Easter!  I hope yours was wonderful.  Ours was very nice.

This Easter was the first time I cooked a traditional Easter meal, well for Southerners, anyway.  We baked a ham and rolled out some biscuits. Friends brought deviled eggs, broccoli casserole and fruit salad.  I originally wanted to also have twice-baked potatoes, but with the lack of rain in Kenya, the price of potatoes has greatly increased while the size of potatoes has dwindled.  Regular potatoes, that is.  I dug through the sad pebble-sized potatoes, looked in the neighbouring bin at the green grocers and instantly changed in favor of mashed sweet potatoes.  My deciding factor?  The biggest sweet potato known to man.

This sweet potato was so large, it fed the seven of us at Easter lunch with a tupperware full of leftovers.  And people really did eat them and went back for seconds.  It took almost as long to bake as the ham, over two hours in the oven, before we could mash it. That was one big, tasty potato.  Yum!

Up From The Grave

This is Class 5, during Music Class, singing their new favourite Easter song, "Up From The Grave He Arose."  The kindergarten teacher was kind enough to video through the window so I could play the piano.  Apparently the students love this song so much, they went back and taught it to their cottages complete with the slow, sad beginning and standing up with joyful singing for the end.  May we always be willing to share the good news of Christ's saving work on the cross and resurrection from the dead with such joy!  Happy Easter!

Kids Say the Funniest Things

As I teach and interact with kids of all ages every day, I'm always coming home with something funny that someone said or some hilarious question that was asked.

Example 1:
Mrs. Brueck, your hair is soft!  It's like a milk cow! (Insert huge smile)

Ummm....thanks, Christine.

Example 2:
We read King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry last term in Class 6.  It's a wonderful story (hint, hint; you should read it) about a boy and his horse who travel from Morocco to France to England.  After being mistreated the whole time, the horse is finally recognized for it's wonderful qualities and becomes the Goldophin Arabian.  Obviously, I had to explain a lot of horse terminology, starting with mares and stallions. Awkward question from a 13-year-old boy who knows better (I think he wanted to make me squirm): "How do you tell a boy horse from a girl horse?"

Just so you know what happened, because I know you're aching to find out what I said, here's the rest of the conversation. I asked, "How do you tell a boy human from a girl human?" To which he complained, "You didn't answer my question, Mrs. Brueck!"  "Exactly!" I parried, "When you answer my question, I'll answer yours."  Case closed.

Example 3:
We have been practicing hymns for Easter in music class since it's coming up.  (I still sort of think that Christmas was last week.)  Anyway, because of the discussion about Jesus being resurrected from the dead on Easter morning and defeating death, a whole can of worms was opened about what life will be like in heaven and what will happen when Jesus comes back.  My Class 5 students followed me out of music today into recess to ask questions. 

My favourite: "They say when Jesus comes back, in the blink of an eye, we'll all fly to meet Him in the air.  But I don't know how to fly.  How will I get up there?"

I'll never look at this beautiful African sky quite the same way again.

Sewing Class

Meet Mama Ruth, house mother extraordinaire.  She is in charge of a cottage of 10 girls.  She decided that all of our older girls needed to learn to sew basic stitches with a needle and thread, and started sewing class during the school break.

She started by passing out a needle to every girl with strict instructions for them not to touch it until she warned them about all the dangers of needles.  Hellen was so excited, but doing a good job of keeping her hands off!

After warnings, every girl threaded her needle properly.  Big smiles all around when this task was completed!

Each girl was given a scrap square of cloth to practice stitching.

There was a lot of laughter,

a bit of confusion,

and quite a few mini-lessons and demonstrations,

but every girl had something to show for her effort in the end!

Now, these girls will split their Saturday afternoons between playing basketball and learning to sew.  Mama Ruth is so talented, she instructs them in both activities.  If she doesn't mind, she might even have an extra older student for sewing class - namely me.

Mongoose Mayhem

                                   There once was a mongoose quite small

                          who into a bucket did fall.

                                  He looked all a-fright,

                                  and hissed with all might,

                          then into the bushes did haul.

Kites

It was a very attentive

and proud (in a good way)

and happy

group of students who learned how to make kites from a sheet of paper, a bamboo skewer, tape and string on Monday.

Richard was the point man on teaching these mad kite skills.

Some of us were very eager to try them out,

but we had to wind the string around a stick first for control.

Freedom in flight!

Waterfall

When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,

and their tongue is parched with thirst,

I the Lord will answer them;

I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

I will open rivers on the bare heights,

and fountains in the midst of the valleys.

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

and the dry land springs of water.

- Isaiah 41:17, 18

Going Bananas

We have a row of very mature banana trees behind our house.  It has been very eye-opening the last few months to watch bananas do their thing.  It's quite different than what I imagined standing in the grocery store picking through the small bunches of greenish bananas on display while growing up in the States.

The bananas start with this huge red flower thing.  As the stem grows downward, the bananas "bloom" above it where the petals have peeled off.  These are baby bananas.

Eventually, the stem is very long, several feet, lots of the red petals have fallen off, and the bananas have matured.  Someone comes along and chops off the whole bunch.  Many people in Kenya grow bananas in their shamba (garden) which they harvest and sell.  It's not unusual to see a bus's roof rack stacked with banana bunches.  Our bananas are grown to serve with meals in the dining hall.  Every lunch and dinner, the kids get a piece of fresh fruit with their meal.  The sad thing is, raw bananas make me sick, and these are the sweetest, most delicious bananas ever!



Trekking

That far ribbon of white was our destination Friday.  We were in Tanzania visiting friends and decided to hike to a waterfall near THE mountain.  You know, Kilimanjaro.

We passed small villages with small children,

women hauling bunches of bananas on their heads,

over rivers on handy bridges,

and through the woods with our handy guides and walking sticks.

We passed boys in American shirts,

and girls toting food for cattle.

We were getting closer.

We stepped around army ants,

and legged it through valleys.

After passing a few more people both younger,

and older,

we arrived.

Victory!



African Sky