Every time I do one of these lazy Facebook Status Updates posts I tell myself I will do better about blogging more often….then I don’t….then I find it impossible to blog about everything that has crossed my mind….then I end up doing one of these lame posts…it’s a cycle!  🙂
The Peace Corps teaches a person to learn from the past, live in the moment, and hope for the future….
Attempting to do Yoga while wearing a headlamp….
March Madness is coming up! I’m going to really miss going to BW3 with KU buddies. I have a feeling I will be pulling quite a few all-nighters during March just to follow KU box scores……last night was…..too close.
KU, must you stress me out like this at 2:20 am?! OT, here we come!
Class 0 girls like to practice their colors on me…something like this happens at least once a week: *Random Class 0 girl grabs my arm* “That’s brown (freckles), that’s white (my skin), that’s green (not sure why they all think my veins are green), and that’s red (my fingertips).” They’re always so proud of themselves…..
Lesson of the day: When cows are out of their pen….do not turn your back for even 10 seconds when getting water from the water tank. Seriously, all 10 cows were on the other end of the school campus…I turned my back for 10 seconds to turn the water faucet…..then when I turned back around all 10 cows with scary horns were standing behind me, staring at me, and hoping to get some water. A Class 2 girl came to my rescue! 🙂
So ready for the KU-MU game tomorrow! Allen Fieldhouse, you are known for being loud (118 db recorded)….this profoundly deaf gal all the way over in Kenya expects to hear all the cheering when we chew up and spit out those tigers…..
Class 5 boy: “What do you eat in America? Do you eat fish, snakes, elephants, roaches, hippos…….?”
Even though I complain that my village market needs to have more variety in terms of veggies and fruits…I find myself constantly looking for excuses to go there because the people there are awesome.
That had to be one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen…..
I oftentimes wonder what goes through the mind of these children who do not have access to a language. How do they view the world, how do they think, and how do they make sense of things? I did not have access to a language until I was 2 and I do not remember what it was like not having a language. However, I remember being frustrated at age 3 during pre-school classes. I could NOT understand why teachers insisted on me signing/speaking in order to communicate with them when we could just use body language/facial expressions…it made no sense to me.
There’s a new student at my school who is about 5 or 6 years old. It is obvious she has never had access to any language whatsoever. She has her own spoken language (think screaming) and sign language (random gesturing) that none of us can understand. She follows me around everywhere even to the point where she tries to escape her class to come to my class or waits for me outside of the choo (I’m 99.99% sure it’s only because I’m a mzungu). It breaks my heart because she has SO much she wants to say but cannot express herself in a language that we can understand…however…if you smile at her, she will always smile back.
This afternoon a co-teacher tried to convince me to marry her brother (I’ve never met him) so that I can become her sister-in-law (not gonna happen) on our way to my first Kenya wake/funeral.
In general, I’m not a huggy person but I’m pretty sure when I get back to the States everyone is going to get the life squeezed out of them. Miss you all! 🙂 Am so glad I can access Facebook, I love reading about what all of you have been doing.
I have always wanted a puppy to follow me home so I could keep him/her (I remember trying to get them to follow me home when I was a kid) but instead I find random goats following me home from the market……. Puppies are cuter…..
What do goats do when it rains? They try to get into the girls dorm common area which is right in front of my room.
Even though I’m not a fan of being asked to teach the last class of the day on Fridays with a last minute notice…being thanked by two Class 8 boys for teaching KSL makes it worth it and reminds me why I’m here.
I cringe every time I have to check the “do you have a disability” box on a form. I don’t believe being deaf is a disability but society defines it as a disability so it’s always a slap in the face when I have to check that box. It’s almost like I’m being told that I’m a “burden,” “there’s something wrong with me,” and “am not equal” as defined by society as a whole. Sometimes I think society as a whole is the one with the disability.
I got some postcards of Kansas City in the mail today.
Class 5 boy: “Why do you have those water things shooting up from the ground (referring to water fountains)?”
I suppose if you grew up in a country where you didn’t know if you would have enough water to survive on a daily basis….a city that’s known for water fountains would be hard to understand. That aside, the kids LOVED the postcards!
Nothing like getting lost in a world of music……
What does one do when they get locked out of their room (I live on the school campus in the girls dorms)? Why of course grab a small child and have her climb through the window to open the door from the inside!
My students are constantly going through my backpack to find books just to look through even if they’re simply different versions of the current textbook they’re using. They’re also always asking me about pictures they see in those books. I need to figure out an inexpensive way to collect books so that I can carry a bag with different books all the time….my students would LOVE it.
Water or Education in other words, Survive or Education….that’s a choice that my kids have to make a few times a week and is why I oftentimes don’t get to teach my last class of the day.
I usually don’t have electricity every other night. Cons: Can’t charge my CI batteries and all the bugs come out from hiding. Pro: The stars….seriously…they’re amazing and makes me want to cut a hole in the roof so I can lay in bed and stare up at them all night long
Yesterday, Maegan and I ate dinner with the students. A Class 7 girl was leading the prayer….something along the lines of this was included in her prayer: “Please, help these Americans eat ugali…they don’t have ugali in America…please help them.”
Even though it has only been 4 months and I miss the States….I’m already wondering how I will readjust to American culture after Kenya…everything that was familiar at one point is going to be so different (and yes, I know I’m getting ahead of myself)….
Sometimes I wish I could wear a hat with a hidden camera to capture people’s facial expressions when they see me, a mzungu…esp when I wave at the little kids.
Ever wonder where your old clothes end up at? Kenya is one of those places….I just saw a Kenyan wearing a KC Chiefs shirt.
Don’t go a day without smiling…
One of these days I will remember to look down as I’m running instead of staring at the full moon and all the stars while running at 6 am….almost did a face plant in a pile of rocks (had a nice recovery…thankfully) and then almost stepped in a pile of cow manure this morning.
Life Is About Creating Yourself 