My shoulders are achey!

Wednesday 3rd October 

(Happy birthday Grandpa! And Happy Anniversary Toby :) )

Today started off really well - I woke up at 4am which meant I could just roll over and go back to sleep, always a good feeling, and I woke up again at 6:30 ish and actually felt pretty good so I got up and washed and replaited my hair, ready for my first day independently getting to and from Dada’s!
(*spoiler alert* I made it!)

I was feeling a little nervous but breakfast sorted me right out. Sophie, our House Mama, is an amazing cook, as everyone keeps telling me, and so far I’d agree! This morning she made us a Kenyan sweet-pastry called Mandazi - they’re how I imagine the beignets in Princess and the Frog would taste and they are sooooooooooooo good!! I must’ve had about 7, little palm-sized squares of cinnamon-y goodness :) They’re definitely the House favourite with the volunteers, everyone was so excited!!

         

Definitely my favourite thing I’ve had here so far!!

Then it was time to get myself to Dada’s. I needed the 102 matatu, from what I could tell everyone that’s here gets that one too so I had plenty of people offering to help me get there which was really lovely! Me and Cordelia left first so we walked to the road together and chatted about life, it was pretty straightforward really! Got off at VCT and I was golden. 

My day was pretty straightforward today too, greeted by the teachers who knew me and was in with class 8, their class room is also the staff room for now, and today they just had exams so I didn’t have much to do teaching-wise! All the classes were having their English, Maths, Swahili and/or science exams I think, so I invigilated class 8 and marked papers....all day!! I’m feeling a bit achey, will definitely need to do some stretching! I was told I needed to work out the answers so I could mark their maths papers first thing and was given the class 8 maths paper to do....I haven’t done maths like that in 3 years!! It was challenging and I was stressing, but after a painstaking hour and a half, Felix appeared to end the exam and he had the mark scheme...could’ve mentioned that earlier but at least my shoddy maths skills didn’t affect the kids’ grades! 

And that’s literally about it... I was there from 9:30 am till 5:15 pm, marking the kids’ answers from classes 4 to 8! They’re all multiple choice so that was pretty simple too - I don’t mind too much though, they only have about 9 teachers to over 200 kids, so they needed help with all the marking and I was happy to help ease their load. That’s what I was needed for today, so that’s what I did!

I feel like I need to find a way to exercise though - they just eat and want me to eat soooo much at lunch!! They gave me a second serving of ugali and beans today because one of the female teachers that I just met today was convinced I hadn’t had enough, she whisked away my plate and refilled it and once it was there, I had to eat it all! I felt a bit sick but I didn’t want to be rude. A few of the volunteers are going for early morning runs I think, so I’m going to join them tomorrow now I’m a little more settled in, otherwise I’ll definitely start gaining a few pounds!

The only other thing that stood out for me today was when the intimidating-teacher-person who’s name I’m still not sure of, I think he’s deputy head of Dada’s, used his cane a few times today - it’s the first time I’ve seen it and it made me quite emotional actually, but I kept it inside. I’ve noticed that discipline and respect for the teachers and things are a big deal here, which I kind of was aware of before, like they stand to answer a question and all that, but I was still a little taken a back when he cracked 2 of the younger students twice on the tops of their heads for coming into the room whilst the exam was going on with his plastic cane. He was disciplining a few more kids at the end of school too, they just looked so scared and would flinch and things...made me a little bit sad but I guess it’s just how it works here, I don’t know if there’s anything I can do except when I’m teaching, if I have to tell someone off I do it a different way. 

I sat in a kind of staff meeting yesterday and he’d said they weren’t going to use the cane anymore, punishment would be to sweep the stairs, yet he’s still using it himself and whacking the walls and things to get kids moving - I don’t know, I don’t agree with it but at the moment, it’s not my place to comment I don’t think.

But anyway - I successfully made it back to the House all by meself!! I quite enjoy traveling solo places, on the tube in London, matatus in Kenya...granted thery’re a little different, and I was a lot more inwardly  tense here, but I made it!!! I reallyyyyyy needed the loo the whole way too, I was gonna go mid afternoon but it looked like a bucket-in-the-open situation at Dada’s and at this point in the month, I am not prepared for that! So I wimped out and decided to hold it...forgot to factor in the 15 minute walk after the matatu though -  seriously thought I wouldn’t make it at one point! But I did, thankfully, got to the house just in time!!

Since it was my first time walking back by myself, it’s the first time I’ve properly had people telling each other to look at the Msungu, it’s a funny one. One Mum in her garden shouted to her maybe 2 year old little boy to “Look! Msungu Msungu, say ‘hi’ !”. He did, it was sweet. A few people waved and said hello or how are you as well, it’s kinda nice and kinda weird at the same time!  

I got back about 5:40pm, much later than I was expecting and everyone else was already home - I’d asked Destiny (one of the American volunteers who’s just finishing her 2 weeks here - I’ve just got to know her it’s so sad!) if she could show me how we do laundry here, I only had my 2 shirts and a few bits of underwear to wash really but she had quite a bit of stuff to wash and I wanted to do it with someone who’d done it before for my first time! It’s all by hand in 2 tubs, one for washing and one for rinsing, wringing them out and putting them up on the line. I just helped Destiny with hers since I had so little to do, she repaid me in Tide pods she won’t be needing since I didn’t bring any! And we just chatted and got to know each other, it was quite fun actually. She lives in Houston, Texas and has 2 teenage kids and works full time in a hospital so was only doing 2 weeks here, her and Kate work together and came out together too - I’m gonna go with them to Hell’s Gate National Park on Friday before they leave which’ll be super fun!

And that’s about it for today so far! Tonight is karaoke night down the road apparently, I’ve got to go, 100%...but I’m a lil nervous! It’ll be a good laugh though, Kate and Destiny’s last time and everyone is really fun, it’ll be good - it’s also Boni’s birthday today, met him earlier, and it was Dan’s on Monday so everyone will be out to have fun... wish me luck!!

Love to everyone back home xxx