5.29.2009
5.28.2009
Sabina's Story
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5.24.2009
Introducing the Tumaini Library!
My pictures came from Lindsey yesterday! Bwena asifiwe! There are so many I want to post on here...I'll figure out a way for you to see them. Right now, the easiest way is on facebook. Well, once I post them on facebook, then that will be the easiest way. I can share my photo albums with you even if you're not on facebook, just let me know your email! =)
Some of the girls helping cover the books!
Looking for a book to read.
Just wanted to read right here!
Checking out a book.
One of my favorite experiences in Kenya was putting the library together with the kids. After a few weeks of grading 6th & 7th grade compositions, it felt wrong to be marking papers when the kids hadn't had any opportunities to improve their writing skills. They could learn as many vocabulary words as possible, but without reading, how could they know how to create a sentence? Or a paragraph? Or 2 pages of an essay? I realized that I could teach them correct grammar and spelling, but if you're not reading, it's pretty hard to know how to organize a sentence or a paragraph.
The scoring is subjective, so with 2 teachers grading, it was kind of just "whatever you think." No particular marks for anything. Once, I scored the kids based on what they knew and how much each of their essays had improved (creativity, proper sentence structure, etc.), and another teacher thought my scores were too high so she went through and wrote a lower score on every essay. Without reading them. It was maddening. Especially when it came to Samuel Ndungu, the one who has MR. Since I was teaching him sight words and phonics, I KNEW where he had improved, so I didn't pay much attention to spelling. He always got the lowest scores - 8 points out of a possible 40. Oh it made me so sad. But then so mad other days.
So anyways, I knew the extra personal finances I had received were to be used at Tumaini, so I just decided to start a library. I found out that a few people had talked about it in the past, but their ideas were either too expensive or there wasn't enough space. It's just a basic little "starter" library for them...there's lots of room for growing! It took months to finally start coming together, but here it is...successful & hoppin'!
To God be the Glory!
Some of the girls helping cover the books! Looking for a book to read. Just wanted to read right here! Checking out a book.5.11.2009
Cute Kids with Christmas Blankets
Here's a great blog to read...http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ . Angie (the blogger) is married to Todd from Selah, they have 3 super cute little girls, and one of their babies only lived for a few hours (read the story, it's so good). She recently visited India, and her last few posts from her trip to Calcutta made me teary-eyed!
Here's some pictures from Christmas that I didn't get to post...some of Lindsey's supporters made fleece blankets & dolls for every kid for Christmas. It was so exciting!
The girls all wrapped their dolls in their blankets - this is how Kenyan women carry their babies. It was adorable.
Howad & Monica 
Lydia
Howad 
Sophia
Sammy Kairu 
Doreen
Benson 
Kevin
Here's some pictures from Christmas that I didn't get to post...some of Lindsey's supporters made fleece blankets & dolls for every kid for Christmas. It was so exciting!
The girls all wrapped their dolls in their blankets - this is how Kenyan women carry their babies. It was adorable.
Howad & Monica 
Lydia
Howad 
Sophia
Sammy Kairu 
Doreen
Benson 
Kevin
5.02.2009
what it's like being home again
Some people have asked that I blog about how life is now that I'm back at home.
It's good. =)
Okay that's all, bye!
It's good. =)
Okay that's all, bye!
Doreen Chepkoech & Faith Cherono
JaclynJust kidding. =] My debriefing in Charlotte really helped prepare me for re-entry back into the states. People have said that I'd probably experience reverse culture-shock, but I kept thinking..."really? I'll only be there for 5 months." I think because I've been living in a place where I tried so hard to adjust to a completely different culture, and I spent 5 months trying to be Kenyan, then it kind of makes sense that transitioning back into my usual life could be tricky.
This week has been full of rest, everything's like new again, and some things are new! Shopping wasn't hard like people said it would be. I needed clothes (thank you carbs), so I went shopping. I've had lots of fun catching up on stories that I missed with my family. I was wondering all week, "maybe because I was so prepared for 're-entry' that it's no big deal?" Just like how I wasn't shocked walking through Kibera (Nairobi's largest slum) because people prepared me for what it would be like.
Except yesterday morning, I woke up and realized that Karanja's a real kid who I don't see everyday anymore; Christabelle isn't gonna wake me up singing at 5:30 AM anymore, and Howad isn't going to come to my room asking for my "dustbin" anymore (the little girls would come and take out mine & Lindsey's trash bags...only they'd go through them looking for things that could be toys). I feel like I dreamt that I was in Kenya because it just FLEW by, and everything at home was so new that I didn't miss Kenya yet. It took about a week for it to hit me that I'm not just taking a break in Nairobi this time & will be heading back up-country on Monday, I'm on the other side of the world now.
I think my culture shock is coming slowly...things happen that I totally don't expect to affect me, but they do. Example - I got my hair cut & colored the day after I got home. bad idea. I kinda freaked out everytime I had to fix it, and I thought I was looking forward to fixing my hair! I got so used to not having to fix it, that something so small like "fixing my hair" threw me off balance. I'm happy with it now, don't worry. =)
I didn't think I'd changed much until I got home, either. I don't mind dirt or getting rained on anymore. I'm more relaxed about life because I trust that the LORD knows and will do. I got so used to greeting EVERYBODY, even people I didn't know, that when I see people I know out places, I subconciously expect them to greet me - or I wondered today if it was normal to go say hi to a girl I haven't seen in years & didn't know very well anyway, or was a wave sufficient? haha, it sounds silly, but I can't remember those kinds of things!
I miss my closeness with the LORD. It's still available to me, but I'm not relying on Him for everything everyday anymore...yikes. My pantry is full, I can shower whenever I want to because when I turn on the faucet, water always comes out. I don't have to say a prayer that there will be water anymore. My food is nutritious, I always have clean clothes, everyone understands my English. It's easy to see how people may believe they are self-sufficient. I'm thankful it's only taken 1 week to realize that even at home in America, I really need the LORD's grace DAILY, and life is lesser without His control.
Okay that's all the thinking & typing I can handle right now. haha! More later!
This week has been full of rest, everything's like new again, and some things are new! Shopping wasn't hard like people said it would be. I needed clothes (thank you carbs), so I went shopping. I've had lots of fun catching up on stories that I missed with my family. I was wondering all week, "maybe because I was so prepared for 're-entry' that it's no big deal?" Just like how I wasn't shocked walking through Kibera (Nairobi's largest slum) because people prepared me for what it would be like.
Except yesterday morning, I woke up and realized that Karanja's a real kid who I don't see everyday anymore; Christabelle isn't gonna wake me up singing at 5:30 AM anymore, and Howad isn't going to come to my room asking for my "dustbin" anymore (the little girls would come and take out mine & Lindsey's trash bags...only they'd go through them looking for things that could be toys). I feel like I dreamt that I was in Kenya because it just FLEW by, and everything at home was so new that I didn't miss Kenya yet. It took about a week for it to hit me that I'm not just taking a break in Nairobi this time & will be heading back up-country on Monday, I'm on the other side of the world now.
I think my culture shock is coming slowly...things happen that I totally don't expect to affect me, but they do. Example - I got my hair cut & colored the day after I got home. bad idea. I kinda freaked out everytime I had to fix it, and I thought I was looking forward to fixing my hair! I got so used to not having to fix it, that something so small like "fixing my hair" threw me off balance. I'm happy with it now, don't worry. =)
I didn't think I'd changed much until I got home, either. I don't mind dirt or getting rained on anymore. I'm more relaxed about life because I trust that the LORD knows and will do. I got so used to greeting EVERYBODY, even people I didn't know, that when I see people I know out places, I subconciously expect them to greet me - or I wondered today if it was normal to go say hi to a girl I haven't seen in years & didn't know very well anyway, or was a wave sufficient? haha, it sounds silly, but I can't remember those kinds of things!
I miss my closeness with the LORD. It's still available to me, but I'm not relying on Him for everything everyday anymore...yikes. My pantry is full, I can shower whenever I want to because when I turn on the faucet, water always comes out. I don't have to say a prayer that there will be water anymore. My food is nutritious, I always have clean clothes, everyone understands my English. It's easy to see how people may believe they are self-sufficient. I'm thankful it's only taken 1 week to realize that even at home in America, I really need the LORD's grace DAILY, and life is lesser without His control.
Okay that's all the thinking & typing I can handle right now. haha! More later!
ps: i've been catching up with all my reality tv shows, and i might be in love with kris allen from american idol. oh wait, he's married. ok don't tell his wife that i'm in love with him.
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