Week Three

 Week 3: Kenya

This week has been a whirlwind. I arrived at my home stay on Monday afternoon. I’m staying with a lovely Kenyan woman and her  12 year old son who was shy at first but has quickly opened up. We hand wash clothes and dishes and we use bucket showers (pro tip: heat water in a kettle and then mix it with regular water for a warmer shower). 

I am teaching 4th grade at Glad Kids School and they are better behaved than any class I’ve ever had! One thing that is taking some getting used to is the lack of following a schedule. There is specific times for specific classes but the other teachers don’t always adhere to it. I’m really sharpening my improv skills! 

I’m staying in the outskirts of Nairobi but it is still a bustling city. Two 6th grade boys walk with me to school each day and the 30 minute walk is peppered with questions from them. “Who’s the president of your country? Do you have any brothers and sisters? What languages do you speak? Do you have any pets?”

On Tuesday, we (the other volunteers and I) didn’t go to school due to protests in Nairobi. We stayed at home all day due to tear gas and water cannons being thrown at protestors. Since then, things have calmed down but it is really interesting talking to Kenyans about the state of their government. Sounds like being unhappy with leadership is a worldwide issue 😉

Today (Saturday) I took a taxi about 40 minutes outside of the city to Ngong. Ngong is known for it’s high altitude and hills where many elite marathoners train. Elite as in, Hellen Obiri, a winner of the NYC marathon and Boston marathon, has trained there. It was incredible and very, very humbling. I ran with a professional marathoner who runs a 2:15 marathon and a woman who is training for her first marathon but is expected to run it sub-3 hours. I mentioned it was humbling, right?? Not only was it beautiful- dirt roads through forests and tiny villages but Daniel offered so much insight and wisdom about endurance running. 

I am feeling very fortunate and grateful to be living this adventure.