I've been teaching for about 6 weeks now, and every week presents something else I never expected. The more time I spend with the kids the more I get to know them and their individual personalities. At first I was so worried about remembering all their names and sign names and what not, and now I don't think I could ever forget them. Each one has a different ridiculous sense of humor and a different way of signing too. Just like everyone's voices are different but distinguishable, so is how they each sign. It's pretty cool. Some of them sign so beautifully that I get caught up in how pretty it is to watch, and I stop understanding what they're telling me. It's kinda like how you can see some stars better if you don't look directly at them.
I asked them this week too about their homes and families. I was curious if they were the only deaf ones. All but about 2 or 3 said "Yes, me deaf alone." Some have some deaf friends nearby, but not many. Then I asked if their families sign with them; 'not really' was the answer. "So what do you do when you go home and who do you talk to?" Answer: 'I sit and watch and don't talk to anyone.' Poor kids. Granted some have parents and families who have made an attempt at learning their language, but going home must be bittersweet for so many of them. They get to see their families, but who do they talk to? People need food and shelter but they also need companionship and stories. Just another thing to make me want to stuff them all in my suitcase and take them back to the States with me (which many have totally agreed to btw).
So lots of other things have been going at school:
- The new boys dormitories are nearly finished and they have already moved in. The secondary boys love that they have their own spot just for themselves, but hate that they have to walk farther to the dining hall now.
- Next month a bunch of people from the Army (the US Army) stationed in Djbouti are supposed to come build a new latrine block for the school. Hope it happens!
- I made it into a Kenyan newspaper; the Nairobi Star. It's nothing special, just a short snippet of what I'm doing here, why I like it, and even what my favorite car is. I tried to find it online but I don't think it's there. I'll certainly save it though.
- My school, Pwani Secondary School for the Deaf, is brand new. It just opened in 2009, which is why the dorms and latrines and everything else are still being built. Partial funding for all of this apparently came from The Commonwealth Society for the Deaf, an organization based out of London that I think is now called Sound Seekers. There's a brief thing here: http://www.sound-seekers.org.uk/our-work/projects/kenya-2009-2012/ but it's extremely outdated. Anyways, some lady from this society is coming next month to observe for 2 weeks, and see if we possibly can get more funding. Cross your fingers!
- Since Pwani is so new, we don't have any official sign boards or anything to show that we're here. So I've decided to try to have the kids help me build a couple to put out on the roads and let people know that yes, there is a secondary deaf school in Kilifi! School pride here we come!
The Peace Corps' second official goal is to "help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served." With this in mind, I cannot tell you how many times a day I have to tell people that just because I am white does not mean I am filthy rich. It actually gets kind of exhausting. On my usual walk into town the other day I stopped to chat with a friend of mine named Felix who has a little juice bar. He is a very nice man, gives me free juice all the time, and is not horribly insistent about me marrying him, which is a relief. So mid-conversation it came up again that no, I am not rolling in millions of shillings and no I am not paid to be here. I told Felix that we have poor people in America too, and this came as a complete shock to him. Kenyans think America is like heaven; no one is every sad or unhealthy or poor or struggling. It took about 15 minutes of me angrily explaining homeless shelters and how people sleep on the street, and the concept of middle and lower class for him to finally believe me. Kenyans like to think in extremes, all black and white. Africa is dirty and bad, America is clean and good. I think my passion in explaining everything made him realize how true it is. Los Angeles is filled with billionaire Hollywood celebrities, but also with slums and thousands of people living in poverty. It's true in many major cities, if not all. Similarly, Nairobi has some of the richest people in Africa, but also some of the biggest squatter's camps too. So yes, America is of course a wonderful place, but it's not perfect, nowhere is.
On a funnier note, last week while I was sleeping a mouse -who I have seen before running around- somehow made his way inside my mosquito net, attempted to burrow himself into my pillow, found my thumb instead, and decided gnawing it would be a good idea. This of course woke me up and, save for some blood stains on my pillow case, it wasn't a big deal. But I called my medical officer the next morning anyways, just in case. She said that to be on the safe side I should go to Mombasa to get rabies shots. This was an adventure too, but a week later I'm all shot up and healthy and haven't started foaming at the mouth. Yet. This also led to some good conversations with my kids about rabies and vaccinations and doctors and hospitals. One thing always leads to another and sometimes we never even get to an actual math lesson. Oh well!
Whew! I think that's all the updates I have for now. Kilifi is still hot, my kids are still awesome and I of course still miss home.
Ninakupenda sana sana sana! I love you all very very very much!
~ Shub :)
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