Happpppy New Years to Everyone!!! I can’t believe that it is
2013 already-and I’m in KENYA-that’s totally wild!! I hope everyone had a great
New Years and is sticking to their resolutions! My New Years Eve was pretty
calm, I watched the movie ‘New Years Eve’ (it’s a combination of stories about
people who are connected somehow and they all celebrate in New York) and then I
brought in the New Year, here and in America-8 hours later-by talking to my
lovely boyfriend! New York is where I spent it last year with Nate and Quevy
and now I’m across the globe-watching people celebrate it talking to Nate on
the phone. Oh how things change. If only Sipili had a Serendipity Store will
Frozen Hot Chocolate ;) Hahaha
I want to share my resolutions in hopes that it might help
you stick with yours even just a day longer and because it’s not a birthday
wish and I’m allowed to tell J.
My first resolution is to mail at least one letter to
everyone I have the address for in my address book that I brought along.
Earlier this week, since I had a looooot of spare time, I labeled each address
to an envelope with my address on the back to make sure I wouldn’t miss one
this year. Though if you don’t know if I have yours, feel free to facebook or
email it to me and I’ll add ya to the list. I want to try and stay in contact
with people even if it’s not that frequently-it’s still something. I’m pretty
excited about this resolution because I love making cards and everyone loves
snail mail! …I think I’m going to find out where and how to get to the Post
Office near me by this weekend too so I can actually start sending mail again.
My second resolution is to perform more random acts of
kindness. I want to do a few each month to keep myself accountable. I’m not
sure how I’m going to go about this one yet but I also am pretty excited about
this. And I just noticed on Facebook that other people are trying to do this
too-that’s pretty sweet-Pay It Forward!!
My third resolution is to try living day by day as much as
possible. This sounds cheesy or whatever, I realize that, but I also think it’s
key. I need to expect the unexpected and roll with it. Planning in great extent
might not be the best way since now I’m living on Kenyan time. Time to take things
day by day, day by day J
Lastly, my fourth resolution, though it isn’t as deep or as
thought provoking as the others, it might still prove difficult- (Never
underestimate chocolate) -is to not eat anymore processed cookies/biscuits
while in Kenya (unless offered by a Kenyan because to not take it would be
rude). I am going to only eat cookies if they are homemade. I mean, homemade
cookies are so much better anyways and then I can work on improving my recipes,
yum! J
So either this weekend or sometime next week I will write
about school since it officially started today, however, as usual, it’s running
on Kenyan time. Also, hopefully next time I blog I will be sitting in my new
house…which I’m still not in.
School starting today was a bit strange. I was not informed
of when I should be anywhere or what was going on at all. I sat in my bed, in
my temporary house, basically spying on the gate to see when students or
teachers would come in. I ended reading an entire book on my kindle though so
it wasn’t a wasted morning and I wasn’t totally creepy? Hahaha but either way,
I sat there from maybe 7:30am until 11:30am when my headmaster finally showed
up. Between that time I’d seen 2 teachers enter and then shortly thereafter,
exit the compound and 2 students enter but then they went to the dormitory. So
at 11:30 I walk outside, greeted my headmaster/supervisor/counterpart as well
as some of the other teachers who had wandered in. There are 6 teachers plus
the headmaster and the deputy-all but one of them was there. We go to the staff
room because we are to have a staff meeting. Right. They say a prayer, welcome
me and then introduce everyone. Maybe 5 minutes later there is no more talk of
school topics and Kiswahili/Kikuyu is being thrown around a lot. They did translate
some and have parts of their convos in English for me but it was mostly
political and hard to follow. Mr. Gikunda, the headmaster, says we can’t decide
which classes/subjects we’re teaching because one staff member was missing.
Then he proceeds to say that actually we’re going to wait until Monday to pick
which classes and subjects everyone is teaching because then most of the
students will be there and we’ll know how many students we’re going to have. So
now we have a staff meeting to assign classes & subjects to teachers AND
classes are to begin. Now if I was teaching at Hogwarts and had Hermione’s
special time watch and we could all be in 2 places at once, teaching and in the
staff room, this might make sense, but alas, it doesn’t. Expect the unexpected;
expect the unexpected, that’s what I gotta do. The staff ‘meeting’ ended an
hour later, we all ate lunch together and then had chai and walked back to the
school to sit around for a bit more before everyone went home. By late
afternoon I’d met 6 students, the rest still have to arrive. It can be hard for
the parents to get their children to school so they said it often takes up to a
week or so for all of the students to arrive. This is why we can and will start
teaching on Monday.
The few students I met were ages 4 and 7/8 and they signed
sooo fast! They were filled with such excitement for everything! I am really
excited to start teaching but also pretty scared. I need a lot of work on my
signing and need to get up to their pace! The few kids I met today and all the
kids I remember from shadowing are so sweet and funny! It’s going to alright.
Thursday and Friday I think we’re just hanging out with the students anyways
since we’re not teaching and just waiting for them to come….and I live on the
school compound so I gotta meet my new neighbors right? ;)
Hope everyone is having fun back at school or enjoying the
last few days before school starts….and I suppose there are people out there
who aren’t teachers or students who read this so hope youre just living up 2013
J
Many kisses from Kenya!!
And remember to send me mail updating me on your lives!!!!
Awesome news today speaking of-I got 5 letters!! Thanks everyone!!!! J
Love,
Zabet
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