East Africa Day 16 (Sun May 29): God is never late. He is always on time.

After breakfast Pamela and I walked along the perimter of the fence that circles campus. If you vere off course a little bit and head up a path, then you’ll come to a private home with a fenced in backyard containing chickens (and a little black kitten) and a house that has only one small window on one side. Walk up to that window, and a woman inside the house will pull back the grate that covers the window and sell you Coca Cola. When you have consumed the beverage then the customer returns the bottle to her – either on the spot I would imagine, or at a later date. This morning Pamela and I returned two empty Coca Cola bottles, that had been previously purchased by Pamela and Sue. It would have been inappropriate to take a photo to show you what it looked like, but it was a lot of fun!

At breakfast one of the students invited me to join the Protestant students’ services this AM. After returning to campus from the Coca Cola outing I slipped into the classroom where the services are held. I was just in time to hear one of the students – the same student who dragged me onto the “dance floor” last night – give a sermon/testimony. She repeated the phrase “God is never late. He is always on time.” She told the students not to judge themselves for their backgrounds, their family situations, or the challenges that they have had to overcome. She said that the students cannot change their parents’ situations, but they can make sure that their husbands and their own children have good opportunities.

The student used her own story to illustrate her points. When she was in primary school, about to take the KCPE exam (taken at the end of 8th grade, to see which secondary school you will go to, if any) her father was injured on his work site. He had to have surgery, and was in the hospital for at least 4 months. The student was still able to focus, and took her KCPE exam, scoring 10th in her class. Though because her father was sick, there was no one to make arrangements for her, for secondary school. So she had to repeat 8th grade. Her friends deserted her because they could not help her, and even those with lesser KCPE scores than hers went on to secondary school. At the end of her second year of 8th grade, this student re-took the KCPE, and scored even higher on the exam than she had the first time. Someone told the student’s father that he should have his student apply for admission to Daraja. She applied … and here she is.

God is never late. He is always on time. I was crying by the time she’d finished speaking. I wasn’t the only one – I heard and saw, out of the corner of my eye, that a good number of the students in the room were crying, too. After the presenter returned to her desk, another student went to the front of the classroom and led everyone in my favorite song that I’ve heard on campus thus far – “The way to be happy is to make someone happy, and to have a little Heaven down here.” :) That got everyone smiling again!

This afternoon I sat in on two of Sue’s classes in which she taught the students how to describe themselves in six words. First, she taught the Form 2’s (sophomores), and then she taught the same class for the Form 1’s (freshmen). The first time I took Sue’s class, I did my own six words statement:



I of course had to snap group photos of both of the classes with their six word statements.


photo: Sue with the Form 1 (freshmen) students holding up their "six words" statements.


photo: Form 2 (sophomores).

I am just about done with TheRough Guide to Kenya. This afternoon I started “They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky”, a book I’ve been intending to read for a while. It just happened to be in the Daraja library. No doubt left behind by a former volunteer. Perfect!


photo: that's the classroom quad behind me. sitting under a tree. beautiful day!

East Africa Day 15 (Sat May 28): Public Speaking Class

I stopped by the office early this AM before breakfast to test out my netbook with the modem and internet connection. IT WORKS!! After breakfast I walked the jogging path that circles the Daraja campus and snapped some photos.



I then spent most of the morning working off-line - transcribing my mental and scribbled notes from yesterday’s government meetings into a clean, orderly document on my computer. I was the only one in the office for most of today – I should say the only two legged person. Ajax and Rasta Jane hung out with me – I think they are Taylor Swift fans, since that is what I was listening to while I worked:) Ajax (the solid brown dog) furiously wagged his whole body and made some noises when I asked him if he liked Taylor Swift. I'm sure if I had asked Rasta Jane, she would have answered in the affirmative, too, but she was too busy sleeping.



Sue, a returning volunteer, is teaching the students Public Speaking. She taught it last time she was here, right after the school had first opened, and is back to teach Part II, and to contribute quite a few other things to campus, too. I sat in on two of her public speaking classes today – they were great! The students were asked to stand in front of the class and give a very short speech. I recorded the speeches given by members of the Form 3 class. Once I have faster internet I’ll upload them, but for now here is a photo of Sue teaching Public Speaking to the Form 3 class.



Since it is Saturday night, the students put on music in the dining hall before sitting down for dinner, and spent the next few hours dancing. It was so much fun! We then watched The King’s Speech, which Sue brought for the students to watch tonight. I had never seen it, but have been meaning to see it for months. Who would have thought, when that film first came out, that I’d eventually watch it in Kenya, in a dark boarding school campus dining hall with 77 young women, on a TV with a screen not much bigger than the one I had in college? :)

East Africa Day 14 (Fri May 27): My First Ventures into Nanyuki’s Government Compound

I went back into town today with the newly arrived volunteer Sue from Marin County, CA – as well as Pamela, Andy, Wa and the mechanic, Peter. (There are a few Peter’s on campus, including Mr. Wa.) Full car!

Stopped at the local branch of Kenya’s big supermarket to pick up some snacks. I found a few products made by the brand name “Organic”. I inspected the products’ ingredients and found that the items don’t contain anything “organic”, and instead contain a lot of chemicals. Reminded me of the US where the word “natural” isn’t regulated, and as a result is used to advertise unhealthy products full of chemicals. (Can you tell that this is one of my pet peves?:) So “Organic” brand, fair enough!
I had been asking Wa for information leads the other day. He referred me to someone he knows who works in the District’s Education Office in Nanyuki. Today was the first time I’d been in town since then, so I excitedly walked over to the Government Compound across the street from The Eatery, while Andy, Pamela and Sue had lunch and used the wireless.



Since my contact at the Education Office was out to lunch when I arrived, I went to the Customer Care free-standing office, which looked kind of like a pre-pay booth in a paid lot at a sports stadium. The young woman in the Customer Care booth, who was wearing a red skirt suit, walked me to the Statistics Office. (Each government office has its own building, in the compound –it’s set up kind of like a college campus quad.) I met with a civil servant who not only took me seriously, but told me that he would do some research for me, and told me when to come back. Next week – fast turnaround! He also referred me to one of his colleagues in the Statistics Office, who coincidentally is just starting a project that will be very helpul to me. Yay!
After lunch – during which I learned that Nanyuki does not recycle - I went back to the Education Office and eventually connected with Wa’s contact there. He also took me very seriously and spent about an hour with me, thoughtfully answering my questions. A colleague came in while we were meeting and gave me some additional information, too. We didn’t have time to finish our conversation because our ride back to campus was departing, so he told me that I can come back next week. It was a great conversation that clarified a lot of things that I’d picked up from internet research, and I learned some new things, too. Plus, it was really fun to check out the Government Compound!

When I got back to campus, the students were playing sports. I watched the volleyball team practice from the sidelines with Jacinta, and Teacher Paris. Paris is so nice – we talked about my research project, and she gave me additional first-hand information about the Kenya Public University application process and bursaries. (Bursaries are scholarships – essentially “free money”.) It was great to be able to run what I’d taught myself by Paris, to make sure that I am understanding things correctly. Today was a very fruitful day! Plus, my netbook is back on campus!

East Africa Day 13 (Thurs May 26): All is Well

The late morning found me pretty frustrated with Kenya’s government websites and the lack of information therein, and my own unfamiliarity with Kenya vocabluarly and research tools. My netbook is still in town – the freeware that my (used) netbook came with for internet servicing is causing problems and needs to be uninstalled. I should get the netbook back tomorrow.

Andy let me use his laptop this AM while he substitute taught English, and Wa let me use his laptop for the afternoon so that I could continue with the frustrating research:) At least I have a pretty view from my desk in the school’s office! That's my banda in the background.



Thanks to everyone who sent me encouraging emails today! :) I have been repeating Steph’s mantra “All is well.” I encourage everyone to try it – it helped today:)

In the afternoon I found Teacher Charles and asked him to clarify a few things for me, that I’d taught myself via internet reading. It was a very helpful conversation – everyone here has been so encouraging.

I ran into one of the students on our way to dinner, and asked her what her favorite part of today was. She said learning about hydrocarbons in chemistry class, but that she also loves biology. I asked her about her dreams, and she said that she wants to be an opthamologist. I asked the student if she had ever been to the eye doctor. No, she had not. So I told her about my personal experiences at the eye doctor’s office, and my friends’ cateract laser surgeries. I wish that I had an issue of an opthamology magazine to give her – I’m sure she’d love it! Oh well. I’m making a mental list of stuff like this.

East Africa Day 12 (Wed May 25): Intro to My Daraja Project!!

I successfully used my netbook and the internet this AM for a while – I got to start my research project!! Woohooo!! But then my netbook began to malfunction again, and I couldn’t use it anymore. Perfect timing - Wa was about to leave for town, so Andy sent my netbook along with Wa for further service. Wa let me use his laptop and modem for the rest of the day so that I could continue with my work.

Most people who know me know that I bleed Brown & White, Lehigh University’s school colors. I’m sure that love of and appreciation for our alma mater manifests in alums in different ways, but I find that many alums that I’ve met through the Young Alumni Council share my passion for ensuring that future and current students can access the same sort of education that we all had. For me, this means seeing high school students with maybe limited means but unlimited potential through the college search and application process. While I was at Lehigh I volunteered for STAR (Students That Are Ready). More recently I volunteered for the San Francisco-based Level Playing Field Institute as a Summer Math & Science Honors Academy mentor, focusing on the college scholarship search and application process. I thought THAT was hard – finding scholarships that matched my two mentees’ profiles - but my current project takes that one step further!

At some point I got interested in access to higher education for the women who are growing up in the developing world. I found out about Daraja through Caitie Ireland, got involved by collecting the running shoes (my official blog post has been published!), and then saw an opportunity to provide a service to an amazing community of young women. So I applied to volunteer on Daraja’s campus and submitted my proposal, for what I would like to contribute to Daraja. I created a project that fortunately for me closely mirrored something that the Board of Directors had been thinking about – how can Daraja ensure that the current students can achieve their dreams after they graduate and leave Daraja? Daraja’s first class of students are currently in Form 3 (high school juniors) so this project comes at a good time!

My project involves a lot of research – I’m researching a lot of nitty gritty things that fall within a few main categories: KCSE (think SAT) prep, types of higher education opportunities, how to finance your higher education, and other ways secondary (high) schools can prepare young women for life after graduation. I’m also looking at the local community labor force and what opportunities exist near campus. This all seems pretty straight forward, but not being Kenyan, it means that I need to learn everything about Kenya’s education system from scratch. So one day at a time!

I was walking back to my banda after dinner tonight, when I saw a very small mammal leap 2+ feet from the ground into some tree branches. Andy happened to walk by, and told me that it was a Bushbaby. He said that he was surprised to see one down so low (usually they are up higher in the hills) and out so early in the evening. It was my lucky night! I didn’t get a photo, but you can see a photo of one here.

East Africa Day 11 (Tues May 24): Intro to Computer Repair in Nanyuki

Started the day with a tour of the new banda construction site, with Wa. The new banda is going up next to the garden, for use by the Danish program that sublets part of campus from Daraja. Amazing to see the concrete floor that had been hand-mixed and poured the night before. The workers were really nice – I enjoyed watching them for a little bit and reflecting upon my great-grandfather’s work laying tile and stone in New Jersey.

Went back into town today with Andy and Daraja’s awesome mechanic, Peter to resolve my netbook internet problems. We brought my netbook to a shop that Peter and Wa knew, which required walking down a short alley, entering a courtyard, and then walking up two flights of steps to the second story shop. It was a small place – one room – with several work benches stacked with desktop computer towers and a fax machine that looked like it was a work in progress, and cubicles with a desktop computer in each, giving me the impression that the shop was also an internet café. There were several young guys working there, who quickly diagnosed the problem – my netbook runs on Linux, and I now know that the Kenyan companies’ modems run on Windows. So we left my netbook there so that they could download the drivers for Linux and install them on my netbook.

Andy and I then went to The Eatery for lunch and wireless access, so that Andy could get some online worrk done. He was so nice – let me use his laptop in the restaurant, while he ran errands for both of us. When Andy picked my netbook up from the shop towards the end of the day, he saw it working with a Safaricom modem – internet connection success!

When we got back to campus I finally managed to get close enough to one of the beautiful (and common) birds on campus, to snap this photo for my grandmother. Maria, the resident bird expert told me that this is the Superb Starling.



After dinner Jacinta, the school’s nurse and mental health counselor gave me a tour of her new office, in an annex off of the newest of Daraja’s three dormitory buildings. I learned a lot about the services that she provides to the students, and we had a great talk about why I am in East Africa and my project for Daraja. Daraja is so lucky to have her here!

East Africa Day 10: In search of an Internet Modem

Pamela and I went into town today. I started at the official Safaricom store, where I tried to get my netbook (in hand) to work with the company’s modem. No luck. A store employee told me that Orange has an official store in Nanyuki, but that’s it. I went over there and although one of the young employees called his friend who Is a computer tech to come look at my netbook, we still could not get my netbook to work with the Orange modem. I then met up with Pamela at the Boulangerie. (The Boulangeerie is one of two restaurants in Nanyuki with free wireless, that cater to the international crowd – The Eatery a few doors down, being the other.) It was my first time there. The menu is not as veg-friendly as The Eatery, but the staff – Steve and Jon – were so nice! When I proactively asked our server, Jon what veg options were available, he offered a veggie burger. Now, I was a little skeptical, but this wasn’t what I was expecting – much more colorful and flavorful than the frozen veggie burgers I’m used to in the US!

I enjoyed my lunch and the wireless internet access for the rest of the afternoon. I love that the shop owner provides whomever is working the restaurant’s counter with access to a laptop connected to the internet. Having worked at a coffee shop (Columbia Heights Coffee) I can appreciate the value of having a laptop with internet access when the shop is quiet:)

The afternoon ended with the 30-minute-ish drive back to campus, netbook not connected to the internet in tow. The sun was setting, the scene was beautiful, and so I snapped this photo by leaning out of the passenger window in the back seat, behind the driver. (The driver sits on the left, and drives in the lefthand lane – opposite from the US.)

East Africa Day 9: A Quiet Sunday

Today was a laid back Sunday for the students and I. I attended the Catholic students' two-hour services this morning after breakfast. (I attended the Protestant students' services last Sunday, so I thought I'd change things up.) Services are held in the classrooms. The Catholic students stood in the front of the classroom, facing the desks (where I sat and observed) and proceeded to sing (in Swahili) and dance for close to two hours. It was a lot of fun to watch, because the students were obviously having so much fun:) About three quarters of the way through the services, a student gave a short sermon on how to get to Heaven. When I asked her about it afterwards she said that few students are comfortable speaking in front of the group, so she just volunteered at the last minute this morning. I really enjoy the singing and dancing because the students are very animated and most of the students sing loudly, in sharp contrast to their soft speaking voices.

I spent most of the mid-day reading my Kenya book, lying on a bench underneath a tree, in the center of the classroom quad.

INSERT PHOTO UNDER TREE.

Leila walked by carrying an armload of her books, and I snapped these two photos.

INSERT LEILA PHOTO.

When Maria passed by I stopped her for this portrait.

INSERT MARIA PHOTO.

Maria is a student at the University of California at San Diego, and is here working on her thesis. She's also helping a UCSD professor with some research. She's so awesome and is a great resource. Including birds ... she told me that there are a few different birds that build nests like these.

INSERT NEST PHOTOS.

In the afternoon I joined the students in the library for Recreational Reading Time. They curl up on the floor, chairs and other furniture with books, magazines or newspapers and quietly read. I snapped this photo of a few of the students sitting on the library door stoop, braiding each other's hair. They looked so pretty sitting there - I had to snap this one.

INSERT GIRLS BRAIDING HAIR PHOTO.

Reading Time evolved into Computer Time. A former volunteer brought these netbooks, which the students love to use, even though they are not connected to the internet. I was still sitting next to them reading, and heard them listening to Rhianna, Justin Bieber, and a boy band that I used to listen to when I lived in London spring 2002 - my London flatmate Emily Tran knows that CD well:)

It rained again this afternoon, but the sun came back out and relatively dried everything up. I went for a short run down the driveway to the Daraja rock, and then up to Jason and Jenni's house, running along the inside perimeter of the fence. It is amazing how much the altitude puts a cramp in my running style. I'm challenging myself to see if I can get relatively used to it, by the time I leave campus on June 15. Wish me luck!!

Cali is curled up on the bed while I type and listen to Taylor Swift. Lesley and Joe, I am taking care of her specifically in your honor:)

East Africa Day 8: The Garden!

Took my Kenya book to a shady spot outside of the garden gates this morning. (The sun was extremely strong today.) I wanted to help in the garden, but Alice won't be back until Monday. However, a few minutes after I'd opened the book, three students showed up to work in the garden! I brightly asked if I could help and they gave me unsure looks - like "you really want to work in the garden?" It was cute. Joyce and I started weeding the beans section with hoes. Here we don't get on our knees and pull out the root system of each root - we just chop them down and leave the weeds there to wither in the sun. Much easier:)

INSERT PHOTO OF JOYCE.

I had a great time working with Joyce. She told me that she enjoys working in the garden because her family are pastoralists. The 2009 drought killed all of their cows and some of their goats and sheep, leaving them with just a few sheep and goats for milk and meat. Her family doesn't sell what the animals provide. They get their other staples from community members. She said that she is the only student from her village at Daraja. I asked her what she likes about Daraja, and she said that she enjoys learning about all of the students' backgrounds - students here are from a variety of tribes.

After I took this photo of Joyce, she asked me if I would give her a copy, and if I would take another photo of her on Monday in her uniform. Of course! I was surprised because this was the first time that a student had expressed interest in the photos that I take. Most of the time, the students do not look at, or smile into the camera when I focus it on them. I still haven't gotten used to that.

After a while Joyce and I were joined by the other two students who have been assigned to work in the garden each day this month. I don't know their names and was too embarrassed to admit it by asking them for their names. (I've been here for a week today.)

INSERT PHOTO OF GARDEN GIRLS IN BLUE.

The student in the blue button-down shirt and I had a great conversation while we worked. She told me that Wa and someone else from Daraja came to her primary school to tell the students about Daraja. The students who were interested completed the application and were then interviewed by both Daraja representatives at the same time. This student was the only one selected from her primary school. I asked her why she wanted to go to Daraja, and she said that she would not have otherwise gone to secondary school, because her family could not afford to send her. But the first reason that she gave was that she likes that Daraja empowers and educates women. When I asked her why this was important, she said that educating women will change the world, and that educated women will provide educational opportunities to their family members. She said that she wants to be a doctor because there is a female doctor in her village. This doctor is a role model for her. The doctor's mother had not gone to school, but made money selling tobacco and sent her daughter to school. The doctor was sponsored through university by an MP - a man. The doctor sent her siblings to school, too. This student told me that her family farms - maize, beans, and one other crop which I forget. So she is used to working in the fields. She was so cute - as you can see from the photo:)

Pamela and I had a really special conversation with one of Daraja's staff members after breakfast this morning. I am so thankful for everyone here who is so willing to share, teach me, and answer my zillion questions:)

This afternoon we had QUITE the Kenyan "rainy season" rain storm. I shot video of it from the screened in porch off of the cafeteria - will post when I have a good internet connection. The students, Pamela, and I were out on the porch when the storm came, sorting through beans to pull out the imperfect ones and pebbles. The students do this activity every weekend, on top of their other daily chores. They are super stars!

INSERT BEAN PHOTO.

A handful of students participated in a public speaking contest for area students today, in Nanyuki. I saw them when they arrived back on campus after dinner, and they excitedly told me all about it. All but one of Daraja's students placed in the Top Three in their respective categories, which means that they get to participate in the next round of the competition on June 3. The students are not used to public speaking - just participating today was a big accomplishment - yay!

I wanted to run this evening but the campus grounds are slippery and wet from the heavy rains. Instead I read with and fed the cat that Maria and I are looking after. You saw a picture of our cat in yesterday's post. She and her sister arrived on campus as kittens, where they were adopted by two members of the Danish staff. The Dane who owned this particular cat left Kenya and didn't take her cat with her. The cat didn't have a name until tonight, when Maria and I named her Cali. Maria and I both came to Daraja from California - we are very imaginative:)

The students were having a dance party in the dining hall tonight, after dinner. (Saturday night activity.) Leila came over to chat (she is so cute) and asked me who my favorite musicians are. She didn't know John Mayer or Jack Johnson, but says that she listens to Taylor Swift on the radio. (That's who I'm listening to, as I type this.) Her favorite is Chris Brown. When I gave her a blank look she said that he used to be Rhianna's boyfriend. Ah, right:) Another student brought the novel that she is reading to dinner. I took a quick look - Goosebumps:)

East Africa Day 7: Volleyball

photo: Daraja campus from the end of the driveway.

Today turned out to be a Day of Pumzeika (rest). I heard that Alice, the Gardener, might not be on campus today, so I stopped back at my banta after breakfast to pick up my Rough Guide to Kenya, which I am in the process of reading cover to cover. One of the cats followed me from my banda to the field behind the garden, where we sat with the cows for a while, until the sun became too strong.

INSERT COW PHOTO.

Then the cat and I wandered over to the garden, where we happened upon a lot of birds in the compost bin.

INSERT BIRDS AT COMPOST BIN PHOTO.

We sat in the shade for a while, listening to the birds while I read my book.

INSERT CAT PHOTO.

Then I decided to do some photo journalism and snapped some photos of the birds in a tree above my head, and a nearby flowering tree with a beautiful trunk.

INSERT BIRDS IN TREE, PINK FLOWERED TREE PHOTOS.

The cat and I parted ways when I went to help the kitchen serve the students their morning snack of cookies and hot chocolate. I then sat on the office porch steps in semi-sun to read, until lunch.

After lunch I changed into running shorts - the first time my knees have seen the African sun:) Went for a run down the Daraja driveway to where the driveway meets the main road that leads into Nanyuki. I believe it might be called the Doldol road? It was beautiful, and was nice to be off campus by foot. I then ran the perimeter of the Daraja campus fence, where I met some neighboring children and got to use my limited Swahili vocabulary:) It was absolutely beautiful - it will become my regular run.

After I re-entered the campus gates I ran back to my banda to grab my camera, and then walked down the driveway to snap some photos so that ya'll could see part of my running route.

INSERT DARAJA DRIVEWAY PHOTOS.

After snapping the photos I watched from the sidelines as the Form 3 girls played a game of football, which was their gym class. The entire campus then had "sports" until dinner time. Half of the students played football and the other half played volleyball. I decided to "change things up" and went down to the volleyball court. When the students started doing drills I left the sidelines to help out, but wound up participating instead:) I didn't realize how much I missed volleyball. Funny how my head remembers all of the rules and how to play, but I can't say quite the same for my serve ... :) After drills the students scrimmaged again. I sat with some of the students on the sidelines and learned a little more Swahili. Leila was there, and she told me all about her primary schooling. She is Muslim. In her community only boys play sports - the girls stay at home. Beginning in kindergarten the students in her primary school began learning Swahili and English, in addition to their native tongues. (Since her mom is a member of one tribe - I forget which one - she spoke her mom's tounge. Since her dad is Somalian, she also speaks a little Somalian.) Then, since she is Muslim, she spent her weekends and Monday through Wednesday evenings at another school where she learned Arabic. She asked me which languages I speak ... ummmm ... :)

This morning I also had an interesting conversation with the Danish staff who run a program on campus for Danish students. They sublet their two buildings from Daraja, who leases from the Baraka School. Approximately twenty five Danish students come to campus (for not sure how long). The Danish staff started a Youth Forum where youth from Nanyuki take matatus (minivan/buses) from town to campus each Saturday for a month. The Danish students and the Nanyuki youth take classes together on how to start a business. It was also just fun to hear about their personal travel plans:)

I am LOVING Chapter Four: Western Kenya in my Rough Guide to Kenya book. Can't wait to get to the region, and in the meantime can't put the book down! Now I completely understand why Lehigh Professor Todd Watkins brought six Lehigh students to Kisumu in Western Kenya, near Lake Victoria, this week. Bummer that I could not meet up with them and see the microfinance project that the students were working on in the region.

So ... let the running schedule and the informal Swahili lessons begin! Here's your starter course:

Jambo = hello

Shaere = poem

Ushaere = poetry

Pumzeika = resting

East Africa Daya 6: Microscopes!

My main task for today was to draft a post for the "official" Daraja blog. I spent a good part of today in the office, sitting at Jenni's desk, writing my post.

INSERT PHOTO OF ME AT DESK.

Check out the post here! (It's not up yet but will be here when it's published.)

When I'd finished the post I did some planning for my main research project. I did not get to begin the actual research today because Andy and I had some trouble connecting my netbook to the internet. It looks like this will require service at the internet store in Nanyuki later this week.

When I was at breakfast this AM I learned that Teacher Charles would be running a Biology lab class today, utilizing the microscopes. He invited me to attend class. So I took a break to observe the lab today. Here's the lesson the class covered:

INSERT LAB BOOK PHOTO.

In this photo Teacher Charles is refreshing the students' memories regarding how to use the microscopes. One student told me that this was the first time that they had used the microscopes this year. I happened to be on campus for the event - sweet!

INSERT LAB PHOTO WITH GIRL PUTTING ON SOCK.

After viewing the pond water and organisms underneath the three microscopes Teacher Charles had the students illustrate what they saw on the blackboard. The students had some difficulty depicting what Teacher Charles was looking for, and had to keep erasing and re-drawing the organisms. There was a lot of activity in the classroom, so when I thought that I heard the word "Obama", I assumed that I was hearing things. But then I distinctly overheard one student tell another, in regards to their attempts at the blackboard that "Obama says 'Yes we can'" :) The student was perfectly serious - it was too cute.

INSERT BLACKBOARD PHOTO.

It rained this afternoon for a while. My second Africa rain! I watched it through the window next to Jenni's desk, while working on my projects. I saw the Daraja cows hanging out in front of my banda and ventured outside to snap this photo.

COWS OUTSIDE MY HOUSE.

I asked and was told that the students would be playing their scheduled sports outside in the afternoon, even if the rain did not stop. I asked and was told that the students do not have raincoats. I thought of Frost Valley and our indoor play areas. When the rain cleared up I snapped some photos of Jenni and Jason's three dogs - Rasta Jane, Ajax, and Tusker. I had seen photos of Tusker on the Daraja website before I decided to come to Daraja - knowing that there was a dog on campus was a definite "plus":)

DOG PHOTOS.

Towards the end of the day I attended the Form 1 (freshmen) WISH Class, again led by Vice Principal Victoria, and attended by several other female teachers, Maria, and Pamela. This one was my favorite WISH class thus far. The students were given a worksheet to complete individually that asked them to describe themselves.

Afterwards Victoria invited the students to share what they had written with the class. Some highlights for me were the student who said that she wants to start an orphanage, another who said that she wants to travel to other countries and help people around the world, another who said that she wants to be a lawyer so that she can address corruption in her government, another who dreams of being a surgeon, and another an accountant. Many of these students talked about their desire to make sure that their siblings receive an education, and identified themselves as WISH ladies. The student who dreams of being a lawyer also said that she wants to be a WISH lady who will be a leader in her country. I wish I had written down her exact wording.

Another student said that she wants to be a doctor, and everything she said reaffirmed that she believed that she could do it. I got to talk with this student after dinner tonight, and asked her what kind of doctor she wants to be - she said a cancer doctor. I asked her why, and she said that she had Hotchkins when she was 11 years old, and would have died if the medicine hadn't worked because her parents couldn't afford the surgery. She was in the hospital for over a month, and her parents had to sell some of their land to pay her medical fees.

Just before dinner, fourteen students competed for a chance to represent Daraja at an area-wide school competition in Nanyuki this Saturday (which I will be attending.) Leila, who had allowed me to shadow her earlier this week, recited a poem that I know she'd been practicing for the past three days. Before the competition began I took this photo with her.

INSERT PHOTO OF LEILA AND I.

I brought a copy of The Blue Sweater to the event, because Pamela wants to read it. A student siting next to her picked it up off of the table and was very interested in it. I had to tell her that she would get to read it later as part of her studies at Daraja, but you can see that she was very into the book! In the background you can see the students listening to, encouraging, and cheering for their friends who were competing in the contest.

INSERT BLUE SWEATER BOOK.

We were running behind schedule tonight and so the sun set just as we were finishing up dinner - no run again tonight.

East Africa Day 5: Behind the Scenes at Daraja

I got to meet with Daraja's Vice Principal, Victoria this morning to discuss some ideas that I had for campus – the first being a Blue Sweater Book Club, and the second an Alumni Association. We had SUCH a great talk! Victoria (and Daraja's Onsite Volunteer Coordinator, Andy are now reading two of the copies of The Blue Sweater that Jo-Ann and the NYC Acumen Fund office donated to Daraja. I can't wait to hear what they think of one of Jacqueline Novogratz's story, since she is one of the reasons that I am here in East Africa. (If you have not yet read the book, then please do!)

Pamela and I spent the remainder of the morning assisting the kitchen staff with vegetable peeling and chopping in preparation for lunch and dinner. It reminded me of my CIT summer at Frost Valley, when I learned to really appreciate all of the hard work that happens in the kitchen! This morning I peeled potatoes, peeled and chopped onions, and diced tomatoes. Since we were preparing food for 77+ people, we got to spend a good amount of time getting to know the kitchen staff - Cecilia, Beatrice and Aloyis. Daraja's nurse and mental health counselor, Jacinta stopped into the kitchen on her way to check on a student. We got to learn about her work as a nurse in the private Nanyuki hospital. And then lunch was served!

INSERT PHOTOS FROM KITCHEN, LUNCH BEING SERVED.

I was supposed to assist in the campus garden in the afternoon, but heard that Alice, the Gardener, was away from campus. I stopped by the garden after lunch just in case she was in, and surprised one of the campus hens in the compost bin! Hilarious. I discovered that the campus compost center is THE place to observe area birds up close – especially directly after the students have emptied a fresh pail of compost into the compost bin:)

INSERT COMPOST BIN PHOTOS.

I spent the bulk of my afternoon preparing to begin my main project, which I believe I will begin in earnest tomorrow. Details still forthcoming.

I then attended the Form 2 (sophomore class) WISH class. Today's topic was about the importance of creating short and long-term plans for yourself. Vice Principal Victoria led the class. She asked the students to pull out their WISH journals and to list a handful of short and long-term goals for themselves, and then asked them to illustrate their long term goal with colored pencils that she handed out to the students. Afterwards Victoria asked the students to share what they had written and drawn with the class. It was really cute – most of the students who presented talked about their aspirations for very high marks in both their Daraja classses and the KCSE (the national exam that they will take at the end of Form 4.)

INSERT WISH PHOTO.

Intended to go for a run after dinner, but since the sun was about to set, I took a short walk along the inside perimeter of the Daraja electric wire fence on the way up to Jenni and Jason's house on the side of the hill overlooking Daraja's campus, and appreciated the sunset, instead … tomorrow is another day:)

East Africa Day 4: Shadowing a Student

I brushed my teeth after writing last night's post. Habits are hard to break – I rinsed my mouth out with water directly from the tap. Fortunately I immediately realized what I'd done so I rinsed my mouth out with purified water and took two Tums for good measure, made and hung up a boldy lettered “do not drink the water” sign for my bathroom mirror, and then went to sleep to “see what happened.” Fortunately absolutely nothing! :)

Since I was shadowing Leila today and her day starts before sunrise, I was up in the dark getting ready for the students' morning workout on the football field. I pulled on some socks and tried to stick my left foot into a trail runner … but there was something squishy in the toe. I didn't take the time to look, but I had no doubt it was one of the frogs that likes to share my banda with me at night. (The frogs and I are both lucky that I love frogs.) I checked my road runners before inserting my feet:) After the morning workout I headed back to my banda before breakfast to escort the frog out of my shoe, while Leila prepared for the day.

INSERT FROG AND SHOE PHOTO.

INSERT 2 BREAKFAST LINE PHOTOS.

After breakfast Leila and I attended a very long day of classes with her section (called “Grey”) of Form 3. There are thirteen students in the Grey section, and twenty five students in all of Form 3. We went from Swahili (you can imagine how much I comprehended in that class) to English (literature/language), to a snack/break, then Math, Business Studies, Religious Education (Daraja is non-denominational, but Religion is on the standardized national exam that the students have to take when they graduate from secondary school), and then finally to lunch!

INSERT CLASS PHOTOS.

Then it was Chemistry for two periods (each period is 45 minutes long), followed by Geography class. We then had a WISH (Women of Integrity, Strength and Hope) class for Form 3 students, where the students discussed the importance of Taking Care of the Elderly in their communities after they graduate from Daraja.

Just before dinner I joined the Football Team for another practice – this time I helped Wa, Peter, and Andy coach - got to dust off my very rusty soccer skills:) We ended practice with a scrimmage in preparation for an upcoming match with a nearby school. The Daraja students are good!

After dinner I attended Study Hall with Leila for a little bit, before cutting out early to finally take a shower and type up this blog post while listening to some John Mayer:) Regarding the shower situation – each banda has its own solar panel and water tank – the water in my tank is hot by 10am. I start following my own personal schedule that Andy made up for me, starting tomorrow. If you want to know where I am at any given moment of the day, this week …

INSERT SCHEDULE PHOTO.

Also, here are two photos of the “Welcome” card that one of the students handed to me when she first greeted me on the night that I arrived on campus – I only just photographed the card.

INSERT WELCOME CARD PHOTOS.

If you have any specific questions for me then please leave a comment below and I'll respond in a following post.

East Africa Day 3: First Venture into Town

NOTE: I haven't been online in a week, and the internet connection is slow - taking too long to upload all of the photos I'd intended to share here. So please ignore the place markers in all caps interspersed in the blog post text. I will add the photos when I have faster internet.

Attended Assembly this AM before breakfast – it takes place each Monday. The students raised the Kenyan flag, sang the National Anthem, and several students and faculty members made announcements. Post breakfast I snapped a few photos of my banda and campus for you - above.

Took my first day trip into Nanyuki today – the town closest to Daraja's campus. We'd stopped off there on Saturday evening, on our way to Daraja from the airport, but I got a much better look at it today. The British have had a military base there for a while now, so it's a pretty sizable community with a welcoming downtown area. (Will snap some photos next time.)

Andy, Pamela, Maria and I spent the morning at what might be considered a “hoteli” - a cafe with a full menu – plus free wireless. That's when I posted my Day 1 & Day 2 blog posts:) It was nice to sit still for a few hours in a somewhat familiar setting, with a pot of tea, the veg stir fry dish, and my netbook open in front of me. (Regarding my vegan diet – the food at Daraja is excellent! Meat is only served on Wednesdays, and even then there is a vegetarian option.)

Wa, one of Daraja's directors, did the driving to and from town. On the way back Maria identified some of the animals that we saw in the fields along the roadside – I saw my first camels and learned that zebras can be seen from the road on occasion.

After a quick meeting in the office with Andy regarding my project, and schedule for the week, I sat in on a Form 3 (junior year) Geography class - several students had told me that it is their favorite class. The nine students in the class and their teacher, Wycliffe talked about stream and rock formations.

After class I observed the Football (soccer) Club's practice on the field, and Wa told me about the pre-Daraja days. The campus was utilized by The Baraka School, a program that brought junior high aged boys from Baltimore, MD to Kenya for a two year period where they were taught by a Kenyan and American staff.

INSERT SOCCER PHOTO.

Immediately before and during dinner Andy distributed a ring pop to each student, out of a Cinderella Disney store bag that had been provided for the students by one of Daraja's board members, Tara.

INSERT RING POPS & DINNER PHOTO.

I fell asleep soon after dinner. I'm shadowing a Form 3 student named Leila tomorrow, beginning at 6am with the students' 6am morning workout!

East Africa Day 2: Bay to Breakers

photo: Three Daraja students getting ready for our Bay to Breakers run!

Attended the Protestant Sunday services in the AM, entirely student run, and held in one of the classrooms. (The Protestant students meet in one room, the Catholic students meet in another room, and the Muslim students meet in an on-campus Mosque.) Services were beautiful – lots of singing and dancing – the students welcomed me and had me go to the front of the room to introduce myself. We sang a song with a chorus that goes something like: "The best way to be happy is to make someone else happy, and to have a little Heaven down here." It involved turning to your neighbor, holding hands, and singing to each other. Very cute!

After services I was given a campus tour by three students - including the compost center which previous volunteers had set up, followed by a volunteer Orientation given to Pamela and I by Andy.

Then we held our own version of San Francisco's Bay to Breakers run to coincide with the Daraja fundraiser that Jason and Jenni who founded and run the school, are holding this weekend in the Bay Area. The girls ran 28 laps around a small course that had been mapped out on campus, wearing the official B2B t-shirts that Andy had brought back to campus from San Francisco, many of the girls in their Daraja uniform skirts, and in running shoes – some of which I recognized from the box that Caitie sent over to Daraja last fall! I saw the pair of Saucony's that I'd sent over – with the grooves now embedded with red Kenya dirt. And we come full circle, because now I am finally here on campus myself - not just the shoes:)

Videos and photos from today's event will be posted online, but are not up yet – I recorded some video footage using one of Daraja's flip cameras. Plus the below footage on my camera, which was taking too long to upload today.

The B2B Daraja Bay Area supporters raised $52,000 which is 4+ million Kenyan Shillings!!! If you're in the Bay Area then you might have seen Jenni and Jason on TV with the female winner of this year's race, a Kenyan woman named Lineth Chepkurui who ran the race in a Darja shirt and was offering us her support. (She also won the race last year, when I was in SF.)

East Africa Day 1: Here We Go!

photo: in the van on the way to Daraja's campus - wearing a Surfrider t-shirt - thanks, Laura Mazzarella:)

I'll be volunteering at the Daraja Academy of Kenya until June 15. It's East Africa's first free secondary (high school) boarding school. I'll write more about my project at a later date. I'm going to attempt to publish a post for each day that I am in East Africa. Here's the first one!

Met up with Pamela, Daraja's new Communications Intern who will be on campus for 6 months, and Andy, Daraja's Onsite Volunteer Coordinator at NBO. Paul, who is from Nanyuki, the town closest to Daraja's campus, picked us up and drove us up to campus in a van. It took about four hours to get from NBO, all 3 passengers dozed - and listened to American pop music on the radio:)

When we arrived on campus it was already dark. We stepped out of the van and were immediately surrounded by what seemed like all 77 of Daraja's current students, who each gave us a hug and said “welcome”. Was shown to the place where I will be living for the next month (photos to come), and ate a late dinner in the kitchen while the students watched “The Time Traveller's Wife” on a smaller-sized color TV set up in the corner of the kitchen. Fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow:)