I'm Kenyan Now!

Today I got my resident card and work permit so now I am Kenyan.. well for a year at least. This past week has been very busy travel week for me. I already blogged about the Kibera Nursery school so now it’s time to hear about one of my new favorite places here in Nairobi, which is the Kazuri bead and jewelry factory. The factory was started 30 years ago to help employ single mothers and give them a way to earn money for their families. Since then the factory has expanded and Kazuri jewelry is sold all over the world. Before going to the shop on the site, we had a tour of the factory. The beads are made out of clay, so first the clay is molded into the various shapes. Then the different shapes are painted and then they are fired. After the clay pieces are fired, the pieces are then assembled into beautiful necklaces, bracelets, key chains and many other beautiful things! You can also buy pottery that has African art, zebras, giraffes and lions on them to name a few! It was really cool to see how the jewelry was made step by step and it gave me a greater appreciation for the final product. To make things better all of the products sold are fair trade! It was a great trip and I can’t wait to go back again!
Here is a link to see some pictures of my trip:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079817&id=7101377&l=876dc

My trip to the Kibera Nursery School

My trip to the Kibera Slums
On Monday, I took a trip to the Kibera Nursery School which is located in the Kibera slums in Nairobi. The Kibera slum is one of the largest of slums in Africa , it is about 1.5 square miles and it houses about 1 million people. Most of the people who live there do not have access to clean water, electricity and proper sewage. The streets are dirt and lined with trash but in all of this there is Oasis which is the Nursery School and the other services that Salvation Army provides in the slums. As we drove through the slum, we came to a gate , it was opened for us and there was the nursery school and the community center. Behind those gates lie a safe place for children to come and receive a quality education. We were greeted by warm smiles and songs from the kids. We had tea with the officers and then it was time to see the kids. While we were visiting with the kids and the teachers there I forgot I was in the slums. I would have to say, that this was one of my favorite places I have visited so far on my trip to Kenya and I can’t wait to go back.

Here is a link to see pictures of the Nursery School :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079714&id=7101377&l=990c0

I have been in Kenya for a month??

I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures I posted! So I have been in Kenya for a little over a month now which is really hard to believe!! The time is going by really fast and I am learning new things everyday! I am starting to feel right at home.

Today being Sunday, I went to church on the compound here! Each service is filled with lots of singing and dancing and praising the Lord! I could listen to the singing all day and I have started to pick up some of the songs in Swahili which is exciting. Each day I am learning more and more Swahili but I still have a long ways to go. The children at the nursery school are my teachers most of the time!

Tomorrow I’m going to visit another nursery school here in Nairobi! I can’t wait to meet the children and staff there but I am sure I am going to miss my kids back here at the nursery school. I am blessed because not only do I get to work at Kabete but I get to travel around Kenya while I am here and see all the work the Salvation Army is doing! So Pictures to come of my trip tomorrow…

It's time for some more pictures!

This past thursday we had sports day at the nursery school!

Here is the link to see some pictures :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079387&id=7101377&l=550b4

Pictures!

I added some more photos to my Kenya Album

Here is the link to look at them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2077769&id=7101377&l=07443

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! It has been busy for me so far. I went shopping today to buy some school supplies for the Nursery School! Thanks again to the Mesa Homeleague for their donation so I could purchase the supplies!

End of the week update

End of the week update!

Hello everyone! It has been awhile since I have written so I thought it was time for a update. This past week flew by! I can’t believe tomorrow is already Sunday! During the week I spent the majority of my time at the nursery school! The kids are getting used to me now and the younger ones are also starting to get used to being in school! They were used to being at home but now they are getting used to sitting for lessons and following directions which is great! After work I sometimes take a walk to a nearby shopping center where I do my grocery shopping, rent videos and just hang out!

Today I went to an elephant orphanage where they raise baby elephants to go out into the wild.
We got there a little late, so it was hard to see at first, but it was worth the wait to see them! They were so cute! After the seeing the elephants we came back to the compound for a welcome to Kabete tea for all the new residents! It was a lot of fun with lots of great food! Well that is it for now! I hope everyone is have a great weekend!
Here is a link to see some new pictures :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2077769&id=7101377&l=07443

Water

I don’t think that after living here in Kenya that I will be able to take for granted the abundance of water that we have in the USA. Also I have learned how not having running water can shape your life! Water here in Nairobi is on ration right now, so the city turns off the water when the supply is low. So as you can imagine I have been learning to live without running water in my house. I am blessed to have a well very close to my house and very nice children who are willing to carry the buckets of water back to my house for me , but that is not the case for many Kenyans. Some have to walk much further to get water from a well or bore hole.

A typical day without water means many trips to the well and then its time to boil the water so I can do dishes and use it for various things. I have learned since I have been here ,that planning ahead is a must and every drop of water is very precious. Conserving water is not a fad or a movement here it’s a reality!

Well on a happier note, everything is going great at the nursery school. I am going to try and take some more pictures and post them. The kids are warming up to me even more and are still very eager to learn! I am being taught by Roslyn, the head teacher so much about Kenyan culture, how to teach and just about anything I need to know. Without her I would be lost! Well I better get back to boiling that water…..

picture time!

Here is a picture of some of my students!

A typical day at the nursery school

A typical day at the nursery school:

I usually arrive at the school around 8:30 and I help get the room ready for the rest of the day. By then most of the children have arrived and their days starts with songs and a prayer. We sing songs like father Abraham, father I adore him (in English and Swahili) and many others! After we pray the children march to their seats for their first lesson. Each day the children have a lesson in English and Math. The younger students are learning how to count while the others are learning how to add and subtract! For theEnglish lesson we are teaching them their ABCs and how to sound out words!

After the first lesson it is snack time or tea time! The children bring their own snack and hot tea or chai to drink! After snack I take the children outside to play on the playground for about 30 minutes and then it is time for their second lesson and then story time or a science lesson! By the time those lessons are finished it is time for lunch which the school provides for them. They eat traditional Kenyan food which consists of ugali, spinach, beans and rice! I help get the lunch ready and then I go back home eat some lunch and come back for nap time! After their nap, it is time to go home and the day is finished!

Here is a link to see some more pictures, Just copy and paste the link!


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078002&l=b59ee&id=7101377

Running Water

I have RUNNING WATER in my flat now!! I have not had running water for two weeks and it is SOO nice not to have to go to the well to get water!!
Well here is what I have been up to since I last blogged:

Sunday
The day began with church outside on the lawn ! This Sunday , a new district and district leader for the Salvation army were created so there was a big celebration! All the corps(churches) in the new district came in marching , dancing and singing and the people just kept coming and coming. There were not enough chairs so people were standing and sitting wherever they could find room! It was a great Sunday service and I left blessed!
After the service we went to a giraffe center where I got to feed giraffes! Anyone that knows me, knows that I do not like to get my hands dirty or sticky but this was worth it. I will upload pictures as soon as I can!

Monday-Wend:
This school week has flown by really fast. I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday! This week I have been getting to know the children at the school a lot better and I am finding I can’t wait to go to work in the morning to see them all =). I spend a lot of my time reading books with them and looking at pictures to teach them English.
Since it is not safe to leave the compound at night, I spend my nights watching dvds, cooking, having game nights and just hanging out with the other missionaries here!

Well I have to go now , thanks again for your prayers and support!