Mountain Villages and Thank you

Feb 19 2013

Let's try and recap. (I can't believe how poorly structured my blogs are, and for someone who wants to be an author, shame on me!). I have been too busy/too darn tired to even journal to remember everything. On the weekend we went to visit the mountain village of our security guard, Risper. Risper is a wonderfully strong and kind woman she works to send money to her son as she is no longer with his father. I learn a lot from her and she really likes helping us with classes or research ideas which is so nice. The mountain village was absolutely incredibly fantastically beautiful. I am obsessed with mountains. The people in the village all told us to come back next time we are in Kenya, I would come back and stay! The families all live quite communally, taking care of everyones children and babies and animals are everywhere. I was holding one of the babies and they were just staring at me in awe (what is wrong with this persons skin and hair) as white people are not visitors they get often so remotely located. So adorable! We met Risper's aunt who is a healer, meaning she takes care of health using roots and plants and other things. She is also hugely involved in midwifery which is really neat as you can imagine how hard it would be to get to a doctor and a big hospital from way out there. It was a wonderful visit although way too short as travel took so long and I at least still get nervous travelling at night and try to avoid it.

I have really been missing my friends, family. I love teaching at the school, love love love it but everything being so different is such a challenge. People always think I know whats going on but I have no idea and so I just try to fake my way through. Finding out what I'm doing wrong is near impossible as no one ever tells me! That is probably the hardest part, people not realizing how lost I am. and expecting me to have answers when I don't understand or don't know in the first place. Going from being a student and on placement with a constant assistant teacher to literally teaching full time is a crazy adjustment never mind in a completely different environmentXD I am really lucky I have lots of experience with kids and am confident (or able to pretend to be) in what I'm doing. Math is a constant challenge because my struggles with it make it 1000 times more difficult to teach. Anyway, what I really wanted to say is how much I appreciate everyone's support. I constantly think about the encouraging messages and tweets I've gotten from people that seriously change my life because I could not be so strong or so happy without you. Every morning before I step into the school I thank the world for my blessings, think of people's wishes for me, and take a deep breath. I am rewarded for my struggles everyday by hugs from students or smiles over library books. Often when I am away thinking of home makes me more homesick but being somewhere that I know people are glad I am, and rooting for my success, makes everything easier.

So if your one of those people. Thank you so much. And if you wanna be, then send me an email ;) I'll email you back!