Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011
It’s time to charge the computer, the camera and the cell phone…it’s been a draining day. I think I may need to be recharged too!! I have taken ibuprofen…wish I could find the Aleve!! My back would benefit and my knees and leg and…well, it would just be nice to have some Aleve.
Breakfast at 7:30; John came at 8. Amber gave him the DVDs that FUM has prepared about the Peace Curriculum. He wanted to watch it before we set off. Amber was setting up her laptop and somehow in the confusion was stung twice! Her hand immediately swelled. I went off to the room to get the Benedryl gel. She had the tablets with her so I opened those for her. She later said it felt like a fire ant and she has two welts. John picked out one stinger but we are not sure about the other one. I told her that (and you won’t get this if you don’t remember President Kennedy’s comments when he and Jackie were in either Berlin or Paris.) I was the one who accompanied Amber Reed to Africa! (JFK said he accompanied Jacqueline.) With Benedryl taking effect, we set off for the Kaimosi Primary School.
Here’s a story about Henry who is a yearly meeting Secretary of Education and serving as our driver this week. Yesterday he mentioned that he is hard of hearing. We have been making a special effort to be sure he knows we are talking to him by speaking loudly or tapping his shoulder, etc. At some point yesterday, he drew Amber aside and asked her if she could take his prescription to the US for two hearing aids and perhaps he would be able to reimburse her. He said it would be 120,000/- ($1500 ) for each ear. She told him that would be not be possible. Then today when he did not see several speed bumps (and friends, these are 18-24 inches high and across the road!), he mentioned that his vision is not so good. Please pray for us as we are traveling. But God is with us as I have lived to write this!
We visited with the principal at Kaimosi and were told by Wesley that most primary schools have head teachers, not principals. This school is well known and respected. Even people from Nairobi , some seven or eight hours away by car, send their children to Kaimosi. We took a tour of the facilities and Amber spotted a mama carrying her baby on her back to the hospital next door for the well baby clinic. She went down to see the baby and ask the mama to show her how the leso is tied to hold the child and if she would take him off and then back on. The little mother didn’t have much English so Wesley came to translate. The baby was friendly and happy. When he crawled on the mother’s back, Amber was teary. She told Wesley it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He said, “Really??”
Back to the tour of the school, we saw the library and computer room (all at least 5-6 years old) and then returned to the office. The children were taking midterm exams so we didn’t get into any classrooms. Mai , the Brit, joined us for a part of the interview. We aren’t sure about the intent of their trip. Mai then left to join John and Roger for the secondary school tour. Amber continued with her questions. I asked about the small children, the Baby Class, the Nursery Class and Kindergarten so Judith, the principal, took us to see them…no exams in those classes! The Baby Class was learning to blow bubbles, the Nursery Class was doing flashcards and the Kindergarten children each had bottle caps in front of them doing their counting lessons. We completed our visit and walked over to Kaimosi Hospital.
I asked to see Calystus, the accounts clerk and a friend of mine. We were taken to an office and Judy Davis was there. She is a nurse from Iowa who volunteers 3 months a year at Kaimosi Hospital…and has for seven years. She showed us around the hospital. The maternity wing has several new babies. The pediatrics unit had several children, one recovering from burns sustained when she fell into the cooking fire. We visited the medical patients and then the well baby clinic. Many mothers do bring their babies in for vaccinations. There were four in the waiting room and several outside under a tree. Judy walked us to the gate and shared that she is at the midway point of her 3 months and that is the hard time for her. We prayed with her and left the hospital. Joyce, Amber and I walked to EAYM Office where Wesley and Henry had gone while we were occupied.
We arrived at Friends Theological College, only a few hundred metres down. I asked the askari to find Shiverenje for me. Wambani came with him and they greeted me warmly. Henry asked me what years I had taught at FTC and then asked if I knew Mrs. Yano. Of course, I did! She is his sister! So Wesley and Henry left us with Shiverenje and took Joyce back to join the others. Shiverenje is like the son I never had. He took me up to see several of my friends, Fredrick, Wilson, Rose, Mary, Eunice, Perucy, and Elijah. We visited the library and then went up the hill to greet Ann Riggs, the principal. She asked if I had looked at the new income producing projects. She showed me the solar lamps and explained that the solar collector on these small almost tensor size could also charge a cell phone. We went back down the hill and looked at the tailoring project and the briquette project, alternative fuel. They are making briquettes from paper and sawdust, thus recycling. This will replace charcoal and in turn, save trees. There is a small jiko (cooking stove) that is made, then these briquettes. Elijah and Eunice demonstrated. The jiko is 400/- ($5) and the briquettes are 10/- for 3 (12 ½ cents). This is more economical and environmentally safer. I took pictures for FUM/Quaker Life but the battery on the camera died. Amber finished for me.
While I was greeting the kitchen staff (some listed above), the students were released for tea. Some of the staff came to greet me as well as two students I had taught in the diploma program. They are now completing the degree program.
Now we headed to Kennedy Shiverenje’s house. One quick stop at Alex’s to buy sodas, then interior to the home in the car borrowed from Calystus. We went over to look at the house Kennedy is constructing. He has been working on it for 4 years. The total cost will be less than $4,500 but on his income, it is very difficult to scratch out any extra after paying school fees for daughters, Sandy and Faith. His daughter Jackie was at home with her new baby, Beth, born on Jan 17. Margaret Makokha came when she finished teaching her class. Then 8 year old daughter Faith arrived home from school. We had a nice visit and I gave Jackie the baby gifts. Dorothy came in from teaching a class at Mago in hairdressing. She had cut my hair when I lived in Kaimosi. Calystus, who had retrieved his vehicle to go to Kisumu to pick someone up from airport, arrived to take us back to Sosa. I had forgotten to take so many things when I gathered up things this morning, a game for the girls, some shampoo, letters from the Davises for some people, and the papers Leonard sent for his mother. On the way back a vehicle passed us moving rather fast. Kennedy and Calystus pointed out that there was a dead body in a plastic bag (think trash bag, not body bag) on top of the car! It appeared to be folded in “half”. There are no funeral homes here, no hearses. So how else would one transport a dead body? The rush in passing us on the road had been to get to the petrol station before they closed!
Now it is 7 pm, we have not had lunch…only sodas (cokes) at the Primary School and cokes and biscuits (cookies) and cake at Shiverenje’s. We went down to order and sat outside enjoying the coolness of the evening. I ordered fish and she asked if I wanted it “wet” or “dry”. The explanations didn’t make sense so I asked the server how she would prefer it and took it “dry”. After 30 minutes or so, we decided to eat in the dining room and not outside. Mai, John and Roger invited us to join their table. We did and the conversation was good. The fish arrived complete with head. The carrots were served in a green bell pepper. The roasted potatoes were shaped like mushrooms. Some culinary art going on here!
John gave me some suggestions for my anticipated three month ministry term in North Ireland later this year. He and Amber had quite the discussion about her work. That was all so very academic! They were discussing theory of education, etc. I was sure then that I was only “the one who accompanied Amber Reed to Africa”.
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