September Newsletter - Sarah L. in Kenya

September 2007 Newsletter
"Every Christian should preach, and if necessary, use words." –St.
Francis of Assisi
Kenyan Christians embody this notion. Their love for Christ is shown
constantly through gracious forms of hospitality and genuine love for
one another. Upon arriving in Kenya, a leader of the Presbyterian
Church of East Africa (PCEA) stated, "We are not just Kenyans. We are
your brothers and sisters." And they truly believe it. God is such a
large part of their identity. It is not uncommon for people to
introduce themselves followed with "and I am a child of God," or "and
I am saved." It is not so much what God does, but what God is to their
identity. They become Christians because they see life in it. The same
leader of the PCEA hoped that "Kenya's spiritual riches would scream
louder than their economic poverty." The presence of the Holy Spirit
cannot be ignored in this place.
I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this newsletter. I
realize that it is no longer September, but I wanted to send the most
complete update as possible. I have been in Kenya for a month and a
half already! I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by. I spent
the first few weeks in orientation with the other four volunteers,
learning about the political, economic and religious climates in Kenya
as well as attempting to learn Swahili. "Attempting" is the key word,
here. In mid-September, I began my placement in Eastlands, Nairobi but
due to various circumstances, was moved to another placement at the
end of September.
I have finally settled into my placement in Gatundu, Kenya (one hour
private car ride to Nairobi or 2-4 hour bus ride). =) I have fallen in
love with this place! I am working and living at Icaciri Secondary
School, where I teach English (9th-10th grade) and Physical Education
(9th-11th). I know, you are probably laughing as you imagine me
teaching P.E. It's actually more like supervising recess. =) I do plan
on teaching the joys of flag football (American football) and
kickball. Can you imagine a life without kickball!? I haven't started
teaching English yet. I started teaching Christian Religious Education
(CRE), but due to a sudden loss of a staff member I was asked to
switch disciplines. I am excited because I will not have to prepare as
much for grammar class (I had to teach Marriage from the traditional
African perspective last week…you can imagine how much studying I had
to do before hand!)
We have 400 students (boys and girls) and 180 girls who board at the
school. There are four teachers (including me) who live on campus. The
school is such a positive environment and I am enjoying living with
the students. Gatundu is considered a small town or village. The town
is comprised of the Kikuyu people, who are known for "loving their own
language." This means that my Swahili is not all that helpful.
Although people know Swahili…they rarely speak it. Unfortunately, I
only know how to respond to "how are you" in Kikuyu. Hopefully I will
pick up more soon! Luckily, all classes are taught in English. =)
Gatundu is surrounded by hills and fields and fields of banana trees.
It's quite beautiful here! The air is clean and fresh which is a nice
change from the big city. The school is a one-hour walk down a dirt
road from "downtown" Gatundu. Apparently, this causes a problem during
rainy season when the road is nearly impassible. I will let you know
how this is when it starts raining. =) The town just received
electricity about a month before I came, which is a huge deal for the
community here. It does mean, however, that there is no Internet café
nearby, hence the tardiness of this newsletter. I had to come to
Nairobi to send this letter. =)
Just to give you a taste of how I live here:
*I boil about 3 pots of water in order to have a warm bath. The water
out of the faucets is always quite cold.
*My camping headlamp is always nearby. Because electricity is new
here…the electricity goes out quite often. I already know that I will
be leaving my headlamp behind because it has already been borrowed
quite often. How did they remove the bats from the attic before? =)
*Birds fly freely in the classrooms and I am the only one who seems to notice.
*It takes me hours to wash my laundry by hand. Even young children can
wash their clothes better than me.
*I killed a chicken and prepared it for dinner. I still can't believe
I did it. One of my prouder moments. =)
*I eat githeri, maize (hard corn) and beans, for nearly every lunch
meal with the students/staff.
*I drink tea with milk several times a day. Teatime is incorporated to
school and work schedules.
*I am the only white person in Gatundu and people usually just call me
"Mzungu" (see Swahili lesson at the bottom).
*I am now known as "Sarah Wanjiru." Kikuyus have difficulties with Ls
and Rs…therefore my last name has been scrapped. They have given me a
Kikuyu name instead, "Wanjiru" (pronounced wahn-jee-roh).
Kiswahili is the language most widely spoken in Kenya. I have decided
to include a Swahili language lesson in my monthly newsletter. Good
luck! =)
Pronunciation:
*a= ah, e= aye, i=ee, o=oh, u=oo
*Rs are flipped once…no hard American Rs! If you can't flip your Rs,
say "d" instead. It'll be close enough. =)
Standard Greeting and Response:
Greeting ->Habari? Response ->Mzuri.
Greeting to peers:
Greeting ->Sasa? Response -> Fit.
Karibu: Welcome (NOT pronounced like the popular coffee joint!)
Jina langu ni ____. : My name is ____.
Jina lako ni nani? : What is your name?
Mzungu: White person.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support thus far. I have had a
wonderful time and I am excited to get into a routine at Icicari and
finally learn my way around! Please pray for the people here as we are
nearing Presidential elections in December. May God's peace be with
you!
Sarah
"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but
accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Acts
10:34-35