Kenyan Kaleidoscope

 Dear beloved family, I hope this finds you warmly snuggled next to a heat source enjoying a cold February, or alternatively snuggled next to your significant other--Valentine's Day is coming! I'm still sweating like a pig in the hot heat of Kenya, but I also know that being in the cold would no longer suit me well, since I'm slowly adapting to this climate. For now, keep the cold for me. So this last Saturday we were asked to pause class because there was some parents outside our classroom waiting to surprise their daughter for her birthday. Brandi and I wrapped up the lesson to a good stopping point, and then shifted to get out of the way and see what would happen next. Once we got out of the way, the family came in and started singing, and several things happened at once. Students started to sing and clap a fast paced Happy Birthday, with some Swahili mixed in ("Kata Keke tule" aka cut the cake for us) and our birthday girl stood up and began to race towards th...

 Hello friends and family, How are you all doing back home? I've been hearing lots of news about babies and new beginnings! That is exciting to hear about and feel a part of even at this distance. Thank you to everyone who has sent me pictures of family, pets, or their children to brighten my day. I have been dealing with some homesickness lately, but it honestly has made me appreciate how good we have it in America, a humbling experience for being on the other side of the world. (This photo was from Nairobi, when we were in training last week. I thought it was good to show a city view.) I'm sure most of you have been wondering about my work with students, since that is what I came here to do in Kenya. The unsatisfactory answer at this point is this: I'm still figuring it out. Let me explain a bit more. It seems like all involved parties here in Kenya were told a different story about our arrival and service. We are teaching assistants, working up to twenty hours a week for...