Only in Kenya...

In North America you have "snow days" - days when you unexpectedly don't have school. In Kenya we don't have snow, but we have random national holidays that are determined the day before. Last week, Tuesday was declared "Census Day" and everyone in Kenya got excused from work. We found this out on Monday, when the government declared that they needed more than four hours on Monday night to go from door to door throughout Kenya to count people. So Tuesday, as we sat at home because almost every place was closed down for this national holiday, the census people came by with their notepad, asked us questions (including "Have you ever had an abortion?"!), and marked the door with chalk to show that they'd come by our house. The funniest part was that I didn't even count as a resident of my house because I spent the night at a friend's house the night before. Census Day... Obama Day... I'll take all these holidays anytime! :)

Another random note... The other day at work I got an email stating that "the school fields are being sprayed with diesel, so be aware." Why diesel? To get rid of termites, which burrow into the ground. Think that solution would work in America? I think not, especially being sprayed during the school day with kids about. You gotta love Kenya... no OSHA!

Back to School!

There are things I always like about the start of school... The rows of school supplies that fill the stores. The warm days of summer still lingering. The fresh smell of new textbooks and curriculum. Unfortunately, none of these things start the school year in Kenya. School supplies in Nairobi are mostly found at one store. The warm days of summer don't come till October, and believe it or not it's COLD! And our textbooks and curriculum are on a sea-faring container somewhere on the Kenyan coast waiting to get through customs. However, some things always remain the same about the start of school and remind me why I am a teacher.

My 18 students arrived two weeks ago with eager, smiling faces. Some were a little nervous, others excited to be the "top dogs" of the elementary school. My students come from seven countries: Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, U.S., Canada, Ethiopia, and Korea. They speak six different native languages and have lived in more places than I can name. We're off to a great start in my new huge classroom! This is the biggest classroom I've ever taught in. It's amazing. I even got to paint a couple walls red for a homey-feel. We're in the middle of place-value to the billions, editing our own work, and researching Native Americans. So far this year is looking like another great one!

The Latest in Kenya

I've been back in Kenya for less than a week, and the constant talk around campus is the WATER CRISIS. The rains in Kenya have been very small. In some parts of the country there has been no rain for several years. The last year that I've been in Kenya, we have suffered from drought on occasion, I've been without water for several days at my house, and I have known people whose crops failed because of drought. My school, however, has not been without water during these times because they have an extra borehole which provides water when the city water is no longer available. This may not be the case for long though. At teacher inservice this week, my superintendent expressed great concern that our school may run out of water because our water sources are almost empty and no rain is in sight. If we run out of water, we have to close the school. Please pray that rain comes to Kenya, that our campus water holes will be filled, and that Rosslyn staff would be creative at ways to conserve water. While we wait for the rains, one of our current campus mottos is: If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, let it drown. Family and friends who I stayed with this summer... now you know why I didn't always flush the toilet. Habit! Thank you for your prayers.

I made it!

After two months of traveling across America, I made it back to Kenya safe and sound. It was a crazy summer in the States, but a fun-filled one. I've been horrible about blogging it all the last month, which I'm sorry for. I'll make it all up soon. Now it's back to the normal routine of things, which I must admit I'm grateful for. Traveling non-stop and moving to a new place every two to four days was a bit exhausting for me, but totally worth it. Thank you family and friends for a wonderful summer. You blessed me lots! I don't think you can know all the ways you have been a support to me this summer. Sleeping in my own bed again and seeing people I love in Kenya is refreshing and strange. Refreshing because I can just sit and do nothing and be in my own neck of the woods again. Strange because it feels so normal. Kenya is home. However, Oregon is home. Alaska is home. I have many homes. I guess I'm realizing that home is where the people I love are.

Alaska Ventures

When I'm not in Alaska, the thing I miss most is always family. So it's no surprise that the thing that the thing I've enjoyed most is hanging out with family again. For the first time in several years, all my mom's kids (and now grandkid too) were together.

Fishing was first on the agenda, which was successful as usual, but I only got one 20-pounder. My 50 pound goal has yet to be achieved.Ya, that's me in all those clothes on a hot Alaskan summer day. :)

We went camping and did a little tubing on the lake. Actually I didn't brave the 43 degree water on a 53 degree day. No thanks! But my sister and niece did. (No wetsuits - just swimming suits.) Crazy girls! I will admit that some of the Alaskan has left me after all that Kenyan sun.
We tugged the inner-tube with the fishing boat. Fishing boats can be used for all purposes!

Seeing "adopted" family has been a great joy as well. My best friends, Micah and Marla, whom I haven't seen in two years, visited with their two sweet daughters.Marla and I, true Alaskan girls, wanted to enjoy a dip in the cold lake.

However, living in Brazil and Kenya has thinned our blood, so we took precautions... survival suits!




We got quite a laugh out of our astronaut-like gear, but had a good swim even though we couldn't sunbathe.




My dear family, I love you very much. Thank you for being a support to me always. I have been very blessed by this visit, more than I can express.