The building continues.
Our return to school this morning sees most of the brickwork already completed. Nothing has fallen over so I'm happy that structure seems incredibly strong. This is a lot quicker than I normally expect which means that the next phase of the build has to start. This is more fiddly and requires the team to cut and bend the steel strengtheners that go into the concrete columns and lintel. Whilst there is plenty of work to keep us busy there is plenty to do with little visible signs of progress.
Lessons
Whilst the building slows, our students and staff get the chance to go into lessons. I took the chance to squeeze into a Science lesson this morning. There were only 30 students in the class today and they were having a 'practical' lesson about pure and impure substances. I highlight the word practical here as she is the only one to have a Bunsen burner, really it is a small camping gas bottle with a burner on the top. A student helps here with the practical part but the rest of the class is just left to watch what's occurring. Whilst this is happening, I seize the chance and have a look through the student next to me's book. There are some really good notes and diagrams of apparatus that they have never actually seen. The detailed drawing of the microscope looks really good but this is just a copy of the diagram in the textbook and the school doesn't have one for them to actually see.
The second theoretical practical is talking about the states of matter of water turning from Ice to Water to Steam. Whilst the students understand that ice is frozen water, they have never actually seen an ice cube either! There is no refrigeration in the school of any kind so they have never seen or touched an ice cube.
It is really alien to see and hear this. The things that we take for granted and the physical limitations to teach science in a rural Kenyan school make it really hard for these students and the teachers to enthuse and engage these kids in the subject!
I did also find some little graffiti pictures, in Brian's exercise book of policemen that he hopes one day to become. He then continued to show me other pictures that he has drawn in other classes. He is obviously a creative soul and reinforces the truth that no matter where you are in the world children are children!
Volleyball
After another hot day at school, we return to the tranquillity of the Karibuni. Our team then have the choice of volleyball, another visit to the orphanage, or simply relaxing and catching up with each other in the garden. Volleyball has been a great way for our students to interact with Theresa's kids who have really taken to our team this year. With a couple of them close in age to our students they have really become friends in the short time we have been here.
Kenyan food
Tonight's dinner was an insight into some Kenyan food. Chipatti's, rice, lentils and beef. Theresa does a great job of catering for our team and giving them a chance to sample food without the side effects. She tells us that a normal Kenyan family may eat meat only once a month. The rest of the time they would eat Ugali, lentils, and beans as a staple diet, which is essentially the same that we saw being prepared in the kitchens at school.
The dinner was absolutely delicious and our students absolutely love lapping it up.
Another evening of card and board games gives everyone a chance to mingle with others that they don't normally. It is so good to see our students mix completely and the groups merge with each other.
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