I’ve been meaning to write a post so that you could catch a
glimpse of what a normal day here at Mariann looks like.
After waking up, I went for a morning run down the road and
back. On the way, I can usually
catch the Sang’alo Primary students on their way to school. One little boy started to run with me
and ran all the way to his school.
Of course, I get lots of surprised looks, friendly “chamgeis,” and
giggles from the little ones. It’s
such a great way to start the day!
While I was doing Pilates in our living room, I looked out the door to
see one of our resident cows staring at me. It was even shocked to see the crazy mzungu!
My first class of the day was Class 3 PE. What a rambunctious group—I just love
them! The boys have this game that
they play with the “plates” (i.e. Frisbees) and the “mpiret” (a squish
ball). They swat it around in the
air and have a great time! Of
course, the girls want nothing to do with this, so I try to find something to
keep them occupied. Today, it was
playing with my hair and staring in wonder at the whiteness of my skin. They would say, “OH! It’s soooo white.” At one point, even some of the boys
were drawn over to look at my white scalp and claw hair clip (circa 1988).
We took uji (porridge) with the teachers and chatted with
them for a bit. In Class 5 Math,
we practiced multiplying kilograms and grams. I worry about boring them to death, but they never stop
smiling sweetly and shouting answers.
J Back in Class 3 CRE (Christian Religious
Education), we talked about praying to God and how Daniel faithfully prayed
even though he faced the lions’ den.
And God saved him! After
lunch (ugali, sukuma wiki, and kitheri) with the teachers, we had Creative Arts
with the students, who wove bracelets out of craft lace (which seems to be a
favorite craft around here). In
Class 4 CRE, we talked about “Sharing Work at School” and “Sharing Work in the
Traditional African Community.” If
you’re wondering, yes, I felt very inadequate and awkward teaching the
latter. But it was great, and my
heart smiled when they remembered their memory verse a week later: “Carry each
other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
After classes, we were surprised by our fellow teacher,
Susan, who had made us chips (French fries). What a sweet servant heart! After a nice talk with her, we settled in for a nice reading
session while the rain poured outside.
We made banana pancakes for dinner and headed up to the teachers’
lounge. We played some nice rounds
of “Moonshine” (our usual card game) and went to visit the younger students’
class during evening preps. Ash
and I taught them “Blessed Be Your Name.”
When those sweet little voices sang it back to us, I know that God and
Jesus were smiling! We met with
all of the students at 9 PM to close the day with singing and prayer. Of course, they sang “Our God is a
Handsome God”—and how can you top that?
But our day wasn’t over. We
went to the girls’ dorm where we danced traditional Luhya dances (involving a
lot of swaying, jumping, and other gyrations that white girls are not quite
used to…especially Church of Christ white girls). We transitioned into “Little Sally Walker,” then crazy chaos. After getting them sufficiently wound
up, we called it a night.
What a beautifully blessed day! God continues to give us so much, even as our days here wind
down. I cannot believe that we
only have 30 days left until we are back in the States, but I trust that God
will bless us beyond what we can fathom.
Please pray that I will stay focused, intentional, and energetic in the
days to come! Love you all!
