As we drove out of Tsavo back into the "real world" of Kenya I was immediately reminded of the poverty. Once again we were back to the dirt homes with tin roofs and children running around barefoot. Peter then drove me down one of these streets full of potholes and red dust and announced we had to run by his house! He got out then came back into the safari van, drove around the block, then came back to his house where a beautiful young woman and cute little boy waited for us. It was his wife Diana and his son Silverstein. I had remembered then that Peter had told me about his wife and how she had gone to fashion school. He said she did some bead work. I knew that he also wanted to take me by his friend's curio shop. Shopping in Kenya is lots of fun when you know how much things should cost for an African and can be very stressful when you have no idea how much you are supposed to pay and they seller assumes you have lots of money as a "white person". Since I was on my own it was a bit more stressful at our first stop. After passing lots of people wearing their Sunday best coming home from church we arrived at a dimly lit building full of African art. The gentleman who owned it opened the doors just for me and I got to shop to my hearts content. All of the art is so beautiful... wood carvings, beaded jewelry, baskets, batiks... I took a good look around and choose a couple of batiks, a kanga (a printed cloth worn like a skirt with an African proverb printed on it), and some hand carved small wooden animals. I felt good giving back to the community of Voi by making a small purchases. It brought the phrase "Buy Local" a different meaning. Maybe the bumper sticker we see in my hometown of Asheville, NC should say, "Buy Where You Are".... or something like that.
Leaving Tsavo my driver Peter told me we needed to run by somewhere before he got me back to the Petrol Station to meet up with Steve, Ronnie, and Zach. By now I was used to the African way of taking ones time. I was worried we would be late and keep everyone, but he said it was all fine. In the Kenyan culture one if never in a hurry and time is not the minute it is in the States. Being one that always runs late I have to admit I kind of liked this, but I realized how American I really am by worrying about the time so much! As we drove out of Tsavo back into the "real world" of Kenya I was immediately reminded of the poverty. Once again we were back to the dirt homes with tin roofs and children running around barefoot. Peter then drove me down one of these streets full of potholes and red dust and announced we had to run by his house! He got out then came back into the safari van, drove around the block, then came back to his house where a beautiful young woman and cute little boy waited for us. It was his wife Diana and his son Silverstein. I had remembered then that Peter had told me about his wife and how she had gone to fashion school. He said she did some bead work. I knew that he also wanted to take me by his friend's curio shop. Shopping in Kenya is lots of fun when you know how much things should cost for an African and can be very stressful when you have no idea how much you are supposed to pay and they seller assumes you have lots of money as a "white person". Since I was on my own it was a bit more stressful at our first stop. After passing lots of people wearing their Sunday best coming home from church we arrived at a dimly lit building full of African art. The gentleman who owned it opened the doors just for me and I got to shop to my hearts content. All of the art is so beautiful... wood carvings, beaded jewelry, baskets, batiks... I took a good look around and choose a couple of batiks, a kanga (a printed cloth worn like a skirt with an African proverb printed on it), and some hand carved small wooden animals. I felt good giving back to the community of Voi by making a small purchases. It brought the phrase "Buy Local" a different meaning. Maybe the bumper sticker we see in my hometown of Asheville, NC should say, "Buy Where You Are".... or something like that. We then got back into the safari van with all my goods and I realized we were already an hour behind schedule! No worries, though..... we got gas at the gas station before we pulled up to a series of small shacks. I could feel the enthusiasm of Diana as she proudly got out and walked up to one of the doors and unlocked it. She then told me it was her shop! She had her own little studio no bigger than a walk in closet and she told me this was her start at her new profession of fashion designer. I couldn't help but be excited for her. She had lots of plastic bead bracelets and earrings and a series of purses she had sewn from different fabrics. She was so alive and bubbly as she sifted through piles of fabric until she came upon a stack of photos. The photos were real friends of her wearing the clothes she had designed. We carefully looked through each photo from wedding gowns to small children in matching outfits. I felt connected to her and wondered if I might had been the first Western woman to see her designs. It was then that I was wowed again by the generosity and spirit of the Kenyan people. Diana picked up a bracelet and said, "to bless you" and attempted to put it on my wrist until we both embarrassingly realized the bracelet was way too small to go over my hand! We both laughed and we said something about fishing line vs elastic beading thread. I then pointed to some natural necklaces made of mwarugani seeds that Diana dyed herself. I ended up buying two necklaces and she then blessed me with a bracelet (that fit) and matched. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I knew exactly how she felt (or how I felt when I sold art out of my own studio). I knew the thrill and the nervousness that comes with sharing your sacred space with another.
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One thing about traveling to a foreign country is not always knowing how things operate. I thought my safari ride would just be on the way to the hotel so it was a nice surprise when Peter told me he would let me rest for a bit then meet me back in the lobby at 4:30 for our evening game drive. It was so beautiful watching the light change and have everything glowing orange. Watching animals in the wild is such a peaceful activity. It was a pleasant surprise to meet three young 20 something year girls who were living in Mombasa with host families back at the lodge. One was from Japan, one from Italy, and the third from the US. They invited me to join them for the dinner at the lodge. I felt bad because Peter asked if I wanted him to join me. I assumed he missed his family and was lonely. When the girls asked me to join them he declined to join us. He was actually just trying to keep ME company! After dinner we all took tea in the lounge and watched a bit of the World Cup together as bats flew around us and the elephants made noises. Peter then asked me what time I wanted to go out in the morning for our game ride. Another one?!!! Wow! I knew I was tired, but I knew I needed to eat up these moments and not waste precious time in Africa on sleep! I awoke at 5:30 and took tea with Peter overlooking the national park. I shared a banana from Mama Gertrude with him. I was grateful we headed out early because we got to see a lion family eating a water buffalo carcass. We also got to see more of everything including a bunch of olive baboons ready to pose for the teacher! Ronnie, Steve, and Mama Gertrude placed me in good hands with their friend Peter who would "take care of me" for the next two days. After leaving the Petrol station we had to make two more stops before we drove into Tsavo East National Park. Once we got there we started seeing animals galore! It was like being on a National Geographic show. We meandered the dirt roads and took the long route to the hotel. I was so excited to see giraffes, elephants, and lions in the wild! It was a bit strange having the safari van to myself, but I loved sticking my head out the top and taking all the photos I wanted without having to fight for space and then just taking it all in an enjoying the moment. I made conscious efforts to put the camera down to just live in the moment and soak it all in. We finally made it to the hotel. Two things that were standing out to me: 1) I am not as comfortable in fancy environments as I am more humble ones and 2) I felt like I was in a Scooby Doo episode. The US and other countries have issued a travel advisory for Kenya and it has been affecting the tourism industry. Usually the hotel would have been packed, but it was very quiet. There weren't any ghosts that I was aware of except the dark shadow of the travel advisory. I enjoyed a quiet lunch from a huge buffet (I was missing the food in the village, though) and watched the elephants down below. I got to rest a bit in my room then Peter was picking me up for my "evening game drive". And wow.... The light of Africa is amazing! Golden and glowing! The water hole had a pipe that runs from Tsavo west to Mombasa and there was a small leak in it where the elephants would take turns drinking... Mama and daughter. One would drink and nudge the other out of the way. I could have watched them for hours! They drink 60 liters of water a day! These elephants were so different than the ones I have seen in zoos. They emitted peace. They were happy elephants living in the wild like they were intended to do. After visiting the schools I came back to Mama Gertrude's to see the progress Zach had made with help from friends on the terrace to his house. It was lots of fun watching the men use rickety homemade ladders then hoist and balance themselves. Meanwhile Chris and Evan played with their new mouse puppet making up shows and enjoying the treats that Steve had bought them. I asked Steve about whether or not the tooth fairy comes to Africa. He told me that instead of putting teeth under your pillow for the tooth fairy to get they throw their teeth on top of the roof so the teeth will grow in faster. It is simple details like this that I wish I could witness. This is the advantage of living in another country rather than just passing through. Sadly- Ronnie's cousin died this week in a car accident leaving behind a wife and young kids. When someone dies the family gets together multiple times. They get together before and also after to check on each other. The family members also must raise money to contribute to the costs of the funeral. Mama Gertrude road with us in the matatu to go be with some of the family during this time. We had many people see us off as we waited on the road for our ride. We made it safely down to the car where we left it after piling the matatu with various passengers along the way. We were to meet my safari driver at the Petrol Station in Voi then Mama, Ronnie, and Steve would go on to visit with family. Mama took tea as we waited and I got to have some one on one time with her. I think this moment was one of the most special ones I have had. She had already given me a bunch of bananas from her yard in a motherly gesture (and I have her a small contribution to the funeral). It wasn't that moment, but it was when she asked about my mother. As we looked each other in the eyes I told her that yes my mother was still living. She told me to tell my mother she said hello and that we were welcome to come visit anytime. My eyes filled with tears. I don't know how exactly to explain it except that she knew how much mothers mean and that the greatest gift she could give me was asking about something so dear to me and inviting us into her home at anytime. Mothers are mothers near and far. By sending me off with food, graciousness, and love I felt taken care of on the other side of the world. The day has finally arrived... School visits in the village! Isaiah (ee-si-ah) was my guide for the day. He is a local in the village who attended Wongonyi Primary School. He picked me up at Mama Gertrude's and we set off on the 30 minute walk to school. The views were incredible and the path was steep as we got our blood pumping. I was grateful for being a trail runner back home and glad to get the exercise, too! The students were very excited to have a masunga (foreigner) visit them. The younger ones in particular would come up and say, "How are you?" over and over. The Headmaster was very kind and welcomed us. I presented my students' art and lucky pennies from North Buncombe Middle School and then asked the students to create art for my students. Class 7 was really cute, too! 7th grade in the US is always a special one to teach and I found that they were very special in Kenya, too! They got to use colored pencils and were so very excited about the colors! The students who were gifted in art were beaming as they worked. In between visiting with students I had tea with all the teachers of the school to ask questions and answer questions about schools in the US. Kenyan teachers must have 2 years of college to teach and more to teach secondary school (high school). Secondary school is not free education and students must score 250 or higher on their tests to get in secondary school. They can also go to tech school if they are not high scorers. Target score for Grade 8 students After leaving Mrangu Primary School we walked back through the village to get to Wongonyi Primary School. In the village Isaiah had to stop to buy minutes for his phone. This is common, but it always amazes me where you can do this! Wongonyi Primary School was impressive with a very articulate headmaster. He was also the lead teacher and taught Grade 8 Social Studies. They had just gotten electricity last year and they had saved money to buy some computers, but ten had to use the money to get the correct wiring. The parents fund two of the teacher positions there and there was a full library (though the books were very old). Life is hard in Kenya. Most everyone is poor. Education is not valued by all, but mostly because feeding stomachs becomes more of a priority. We are all the same, though! The Grade 8 students were sooooo much like my own 8th graders back home. The boys were trying to act cool by not really wanting to make the art for me except for the ones who were really good artists. You knew who they were immediately because they would put out other drawings on their desks indiscreetly hoping it would notice. The girls giggled a lot and when I asked them to sing for me they did a call and response song about Jesus. (See video below) They don't have to separate church and state here since it was the missionaries who brought schools to Africa and it is based on the British schooling system. They even had a Pastoral Christian Education class a part of their curriculum in this particular public school. The biggest laugh I got from the students was when the Headmaster had left the room and I asked them if they would teach me to dance. They laughed so loud I was worried we were disturbing the other classes! This I did NOT get on video! It was a beautiful day in Wongonyi and I felt like I should be staying for longer. When the matatu let us off on the side of the bumpy windy steep road in the golden dust I was already on an adrenalin rush and then as the particles settled I was standing before paradise. We sat and watched the sunset outside and also enjoyed the cozy sofas inside as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped as it does in the mountains. Margaret (Maggie) was Mama Gertrude's young helper washing dishes outside, hanging laundry, and finishing preparing dinner with Mama. There were chickens and dogs running about and two of the cutest kids ever: Chris and Evan (7 and 6 years old). They sure loved playing the tickle game... one of those universal ones. Isn't it just amazing that we all speak different languages all over the world yet we all laugh, cry, love, scream... we are all one in so many ways! It actually looked a tiny bit like the Blue Ridge Mountains of home yet tropical. I was shown to my coconut leaf covered home and was surprised to find electricity! This has been a fairly new upgrade to the village (the school had just gotten in a year ago). We were called down to tea to the house slightly below mine past the pit toilets to the wonderful smell of a wood burning kitchen. There is where I met Ronnie's mother Mama Getrude and other cousins, friends, etc. Mama Gertrude fed us chicken stew for dinner which was wonderful and for breakfast she had prepared the breakfast table with freshness from their farm: bananas, advocados, boiled sweet potatoes (white, though), and mandazi (the Kenya equivilant of a doughnut hole without the sugar).
Traveling from Nairobi to Wongonyi Village is a blog post in itself with Steve driving and Ronnie and Zach in the backseat. Wongonyi Village is where Ronnie grew up and where Zach has done a lot for the village through his non-profit Kosmos Solutions International. Driving the highways in Kenya is nothing like driving the main roads in the US. One drives on the left and Mombasa Highway where we were traveling is a two lane road with lots of large trucks using it to bring goods from the port to other parts of Kenya and Africa. Then every other truck was a Mombasa Cement truck going to the plant. Whether you are a big truck or little car it is like playing chicken when you try to pass and often time cars or trucks cut it too close and have to go into the shoulder to avoid being hit. Driving the highway has probably been the scariest thing about being here, but I am in good hands with my friend Steve who is an excellent Kenyan driver and is smart and sensible (and it helps he drives a speedy little BMW). It was fun passing through little towns and villages along the road where people come up to your windows selling whatever it is in that region and they have their stalls set up on the side of the road. Onions and tomatoes in one place the oranges in another.... slingshots for hitting monkeys and killing birds.... chickens for eating.... Grain baskets for sorting. We stopped for a break and lunch snack where there were many artists selling wood carvings. They all wanted my business so I took a photo with each of them telling them I would be back through next week to decide. They all were very kind to me hoping I would choose their wares! One lady said, "hakuna matata" to me which of course I knew from The Lion King. I proceeded to sing a line from the song to her and the man next to her was so excited I knew an African song and he started singing, too. Ends up it was a different song, but it was fun to share the moment with them. This is also where we stopped for a snack break instead of lunch. Mandanzi(non sugary donut like things) are popular here and they have canteens where you can buy them along with other snack items like potato chips (ketchup flavored, salt and vineager, etc) and always soda in glass bottles, but plastic, too. There are tables outside to sit so after chatting with the wood carvers I ate two mandanzi and a enjoyed a soda. Then there was the part of the highway that runs through Tsavo National Park! Oh- and just outside Nairobi we saw camels with people riding them! Evidently- camels to native to East Africa and they ship 30,000-40,000 to the Middle East each year. In addition to camels we saw a giraffe, an ostrich, tons of baboons that came right up to the car, and four zebras. I was so excited to see the animals and I wasn't even on safari yet! It was so normal for my Kenyan friends. It would be like me in North Carolina seeing a deer on the side of the road (although I doubt someone from Kenya would get super excited about seeing a deer with all of their amazing animals). When we had almost reached Voi we took a right turn on a very dusty orange dirt road and drove another 6km to park our car. Evidently the road up to Wongonyi is impassable if you drive a low small car. We needed a four wheel drive. So- we waited outside a small rectangular building for the matatu shuttle to arrive to take us up the mountain to the village. They put my luggage up top then I slide in to find a chicken with her feet tied together at my feet. I asked the guys what to do and they told me to just slide it over with my feet. I did and it let out out a squawk. As we headed up the curving eroded steep road the matatu would stop along the way and people would come out to meet us from little pathways off the road. This is when it learned that the shuttle also picked up supplies for the villagers and would do drop offs daily for them. It already was feeling like a close knit community... and it was beautiful! I got the pleasure today to feed my artist soul by spending time with other contemporary painters and artists in Nairobi at The GoDown Arts Centre. "The GoDown occupies a 10,000-square-meter warehouse, providing basic studios, rehearsal, and performance spaces to visual and performing artists groups, ranging from musicians, sculptors, and painters to television producers, web-designers, dancers, and acrobats. We promote professional development through training, workshops, and exchange, while creating an environment for innovation and collaboration between artists. The center also houses an exhibition gallery and a performance venue where the public engage meaningfully with the arts." -www.newmuseum.org/artspaces/view/the-godown-arts-centre I met so many artists there today that spoke my language! Most of the artists there got degrees in art and had business cards with their artist website. It reminded me of the River Arts District in Asheville. There was even an outdoor cafe to eat lunch. I met so many artists that awed me, but I will only show a few here. "Like" the GoDown on Facebook so you can see some more of what we saw today and let it inspire you to create something meaningful that comes from your thoughts, your soul, and your heart. The XYZ Show makes fun of Kenyan politics and Serah was familiar with it so was very excited to see the actual puppets. They are made of foam and the eyes even move! Check out the website and watch a You Tube video to get the whole effect. www.thexyzshow.com Other artists: And of course the one photo I can't post today is the one I bought art from! His photo is on my camera and I am blogging from my phone while in Kenya. When I get home an can download the images I will share more! For now check out his website: It is a good thing to be laid back and go with the flow while in Kenya! Today was designated the day to visit schools. I was supposed to visit the primary school, secondary school, and a school in Kibera. Serah's sister teaches at the high school and is working towards her doctorate. Her principal was concerned about me doing reasearch without a government permit. I am not conducting research.... just building connections, but I know how important it is to follow procedures. The schools also are in an exam period (much like our EOGs). I plan to ask Serah's sisters questions regarding accountability, class offerings, teacher evaluations, etc. and she will be the perfect person to be able to educate me about Kenyan Education. I do know that some schools are public and some are private. After Primary School (after middle school) school is no longer free and parent must pay. So far it seems that most schools are private and parents have to pay for those. All parents must pay for every child no matter if the school is public or private for school uniforms. I find this fascinating since some families can't always put food on the table without a struggle. Serah and I had stopped by her son's school yesterday to confirm my classroom visit for today at 3:30. When we got there the Headmaster and Teacher did not know. We had spoken with the Deputy Headmaster and thought it was all arranged, but after discussing with the Headmaster (principal) it will be better to return on the 10th. When I got home Julius was so disappointed, but I am hoping to still get to visit his classroom. I did get to experience recess and the administrative offices. It is a private Christian school about 1/2 mile from Serah and Ronnie's house where I am staying. Tomorrow I head to Wongonyi Village where I will get to experience a more rural school setting. It is amazing just how excited the children who have not seen white skin very much react. They also all know "hello, how are you?". "You" is said ending with a higher sound. Here is a video of the kids in Kibera. They got a little overexcited and swarmed me trampling each other! Oh dear! So- I am anxious to get into the actual classrooms and take the art my school made and have them make it. It wil happen, but it will need to be on Kenyan time. I am also supposed to go back to one of the schools of Kibera where one my housemates is volunteering and hope to make that happen as well! I really need more time here in Kenya... maybe one day after my children are in college I can come for longer! Although I knew this was going to be a day where I was going to witness a lot of poverty I was looking forward to seeing the life and happiness within such conditions. I have to say I felt uncomfortable taking photos and tried to imagine if some foreigner came into my neighborhood and took photos of me mowing my grass, unloading my groceries, and hanging out. It would feel like an envasion of my privacy. I hope I did not offend anyone today, but I want to share with my students how some people do live in the world and how through education and teamwork things can slowly turn around. Sereh arranged a guide for the two of us. Kibera is a maze of mud and trash alleys and pathways with tin roofed shacks with mud walls. In the last 4 years the Swiss have helped build a restroom for about 300 people there to use. Chickens roam around, unkept dogs lounge about, kids are playing in the dirt... People are selling all sorts of things... Charcoal, second hand clothes, fish, vegetables, etc. As part of our visit we visited Serah's friend Mama Caroline in her home where she makes all kinds of art with beads and wire. Since she is HIV Positive her husband left her so she joined a women's group to learn the crafts and does it full time. There is a school in Canada that sells her work for a fundraiser to send Kenyan students to school. She only spoke Swahili and her spirit was shy, but very sweet! The other thing I really wanted to do was visit the non-profit Carolina for Kibera. They are doing so much for the people of Kibera and it started at the University of North Carolina! I found out about it when I came across a documentary called Without a Fight that they had produced. www.withoutafight.org Serah and I showed up without an appointment and they kindly tok so much time with us. A student named Sara from the University of Vermont showed us around and took us through a mile of small alleys until we got to the Nutrition Center where we met Esther and the babies with malnutrition. They educate the mothers on nutrition and have the children from the morning until 4pm to play with them, feed them, and monitor their health. Naptime for the kids in the Nutrition Center We also got a tour of the clinic from the computer where they check in to the pharmacy. I even saw a baby get a vaccine! It was an impressive clinic. Two communities within Kibera can go for free if they are willing to be part of the research being done my the US Center for Disease Control and the Kenyan Medical Society. You can read lots more on the Carolina for Kibera website above. There are many other programs CFK offers such as Safe Places for teenage girls. They are educating the residents of Kibera and going them tools to better themselves. Serah is the reason I actually made it to Kenya! She has arranged the whole trip and is wise, feisty, and good hearted. We had a fantastic meal of tilapia, kale, and posho and talked about all sorts of things over lunch. I am blessed to get to spend so much time with this woman and to learn from her and grow. I awoke at 6:40 to the sound of the rooster crowing and decided to stay under the mosquito net and watch the golden light of Kenya become brighter as I took in the voices of morning around me... In addition to the roosters... Cows, birds, dogs, children singing Swahili, dishes in the kitchen. After sharing breakfast at the dining room table with another American girl visiting, I spent some time with the two youngest children of the house, William and Junior. When Uncle Steve (my driver) arrived we set out for our touring day. The drive to all the places was one of my favorite parts... a woman cooking and selling fish on the side of the road, another woman with a huge bunch of sticks on her back, a baboon, a herd of Masai cows, a road blocked off with just a few small rocks instead of big flashing signs. Everyone was out and about doing their thing. My thing today was acclimating myself and we started at the elephant orphanage. Many of the mothers had been poached. Next stop was the giraffe center where I had my giraffe kiss! We also visited the bead factory to see the process of making the clay beads that are now shipped all over the world. Then we spent time the Karen Blixen Museum to see where the author Out of Africa lived. After lunch and shopping at a Wal-Martesque store we came home. The power was out and all the foreigners were inside chatting. I chose to go to the courtyard and chat with Steve, the children of the neighborhood, and hang out with mama and her puppies. So far the far most interesting thing I have done is conversing with my new Kenyan friends. I have started to keep a journal of the wise things they have been telling me. Probably one of the most interesting conversations today was regarding traditional initiation ceremonies for boys and girls at the age of 12 (usually). Another interesting fact is that about 80% of Kenya is Christian and only 15% Muslim. Schools get out from November until the first of the new year and also they get the whole month of April for Easter. Although Santa is at the malls here in Kenya at Christmas it is not a focus at Christmas. There are so many beautiful things about the people here and the way they live. It seems there is more of a priority on relationships than with the things one has. There is so much to say... and the best way to say it is we are all human and share the same spirit. We can never forget that being human is what unites us! I met my first Kenyan friend, Jim, on the flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi.
My mom always kids me that I run into people I know everywhere I go. It is not too terribly surprising I run into the Peeples family in the Asheville Airport flying on the same flight as me. Gary was randomly assigned the seat next to me. Both Gary and Molly are Peace Corp Veterans I could not think of more perfect people to meet up with before such a grand adventure! Their own enthusiasm for travel and adventure was a gift to me! The next connection awaited me in Detroit where I had five hours to kill (three now). I had a nice conversation with my Dad and then headed to the nearest crowded airport restaurant. I found a seat scrunched between two strangers who had to rearrange their bags to accommodate me. I put away my phone knowing I should make "stranger conversation", which is 9 out of 10 times a good idea! The guy next to me was a US Marine who was traveling home from training in DC to his wife and 4 year old son in Oklahoma. After chatting a bit about the unusual gyro sandwich we both ordered he shared he had been to Kenya to help the US Embassy! When he found out I was an art teacher he told me places not to miss and was very encouraging. I told him my two sons would be in the Dominican Republic with their dad while I was in Kenya and he had been there, as well! He also served in Haiti before and after the earthquake. When we parted I thanked him for serving our country... We should all have more "chance" encounters! Now the journey and connections continue....... It's hard to believe the day has actually arrived! So much work, worry, and effort has gone into preparing and going on this journey. I'm sitting in the Asheville Airport after first forgetting my phone at home and having to turn around to get it and secondly Delta telling me I couldn't check in without the exact credit card I used to purchase my plane ticket. All is well now, though! I have a long journey ahead.... Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi. I'll arrive "Nairobi Time" on Sunday at 8:10pm. Love to everyone who has supported me and lifted me up! The piece I was most worried about has arrived! My visa to get into Kenya is here! Whew! Just having that one little piece of paper is making this trip seem a whole lot more real. It is amazing how everything is coming together. School finished on Thursday and then we had one teacher workday yesterday. This gave me the chance to get the other teachers involved in making art for Africa, too. It was fun to get some of them out of their comfort level and creating and then see other teachers and staff just take right to it. Other good news is that I found out I can accept donations for my trip through the Buncombe County Schools Foundation. I am still $2,000 from funding the trip. This is just for the basics of the rest of the plane ticket, my accommodations, driver while there, and some meals in the homestay. I am planning on holding a community event when I get home to celebrate the friendships I make and to get involvement in a quilt we will be creating using fabric from Kenya and pieces of fabric that my own students have screen printed. One quilt will be sent to Kenya and the other will hang in our school. I would love for all of my donors to be a part of this! If you would like to make a tax deductible donation you may do so online. Please make sure you designate it for North Buncombe Middle School in Honor of Laura Norris. The link to donate: http://c2.bcsf.schoolwires.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=189 If you would rather have a piece of art as a gift for your donation you can do that through the "Store". Just click on Store at the top of the page! Other good news:
I got a nice write-up in the Insider Employee Newsletter... take a look at page 6! http://www.buncombe.k12.nc.us/cms/lib5/NC01000308/Centricity/Domain/3570/BCS%20Insider%20June%202014.pdf Here is one of my North Buncombe Middle School students creating an artist trading card for me to take to the school in Kenya for the students there to get a glimpse of what my students here are about. I will take supplies for students in Kenya to create cards in hopes of bringing them back to my students in North Carolina. After getting the blessing from my principal, county office, and Superintendent that I could use the runner up grant money to go towards a plane ticket, I had lots to get ready! The first order of business was a passport. Yes... I HAVE a passport.... somewhere, but unfortunately it was not in my lock box at the State Employee's Credit Union. However, my birth certificate was safely tucked in there. I filled out all the necessary forms online (including the lost passport form), got my passport photos made at my neighborhood Walgreen's, and then got my birth certificate out of the lock box. I had made an appointment with the passport office in the post office on Coxe Ave and was all set. So. I. Thought. The Birth Certificate evidently was not the original one... no raised seal. Really?!!! I had it so secure all these years in my lock box. The postal worker was kind to me and told me how to obtain a proper birth certificate. More forms. Another couple of weeks. More money. More time. Then... the birth certificate arrives... with my mother's name spelled incorrectly. Her name is Elisabeth, but they had spelled it with a z instead of the s. Uh oh! Was this going to trip me up in getting my passport in time? I called to make a new appointment with the passport office. This time they were not so friendly. I had to wait until May 22 to apply. Yikes! I needed not only the passport, but the visa, too. I couldn't apply for the visa until I got the passport and I couldn't apply for the visa until I got my plane ticket. That meant I couldn't get the plane ticket until I got the passport. Ack!!!! I called the Biltmore Station post office hoping for better luck knowing at this point I really needed to expedite the passport (more money). They, too, were super busy and I couldn't get in until late May. She recommended I go into the Coxe Ave post office as a walk-in. I planned doing that and made an appointment with the Health Department for my Foreign Travel appointment on the same day. I walk in to a packed passport waiting area and luckily saw friends there so it eased the stress a bit. The postal worker asks me who I was and what I was doing. I told him and he told me he doesn't have time for me and to leave. My eyes welled up with tears. I quickly said good-bye to my friends embarrassed. What was I going to do? Was this a sign I wasn't supposed to go? Determined....I decided to go ahead and follow through with my Foreign Travel Appointment at the Health Department (it was right across the street from the post office and I had carved out this time to get it done). I walked into the Buncombe County Health & Human Services upset and down. My mind was racing again about how I could get a passport. I decided it might just be worth my time to drive down to Greenville, SC to the Downtown Post Office. Since Greenville was my hometown I knew exactly where it was and how to get there. I called to find out the hours, make sure I didn't need an appointment, and make sure they could expedite the passport (not all post offices process passports and out of the ones that do not all of them will expedite them for you). They did not require appointments and if I timed it right with the lunch break I could very possibly be the first in line. But first.... shots. To read what shots I need: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/kenya I had a lot of shots to get and a lot of information to receive! I actually had to go to the Health Department three separate times to get shots. Hep A/B, polio, tetanus, typhoid, yellow fever.... and then I find out there are biting insects with no vaccines available that carry diseases! I will have to spray my clothes with bug repellent before packing and take malaria pills. All of this sounds like a lot to take it (especially when I was already upset about the passport), but it was the kindness of the workers at the Health Department that made my day. Some past experience made me think they would be cranky and not very personable, but I was proven very wrong each of the three times I went in. Annette is a light in the Health Department with her patience, warmth, and compassion. She was so very personal with me and we chatted about her teacher friends, the people who come through the Health Department who have adopted babies from Africa, and the woes of getting a new passport. It is the brightness of people who make this world a better place. A smile and a personal touch mean so much to me. I experienced the same thing when I went down to Greenville. Lucky me got to grab a sandwich at Duke's http://www.dukesandwich.com/ then sure enough I was first in line at the post office where I met a nice lady who was traveling to Mexico who was in line behind me. At 1 pm on the dot the passport window opens and a smiling post woman asks if she can help me. She assured me the misspelling of my mother's name wouldn't be a problem and I was in and out of the post office in 7 minutes flat! I was realizing that making connections and the kindness of others truly makes me happy! I am traveling to Kenya to make global connections and friendships, but the journey to get to Kenya is allowing me to make connections and build friendships I wouldn't have otherwise made. After getting my itinerary and convincing myself I was actually going to Kenya I realized it wasn't actually a given I was going to win. There are so many teachers out there with bigger and better ideas, more eloquent words, more experienced grant writers....
Why didn't I get more people to proofread my answers? My procrastination and stubbornness probably had something to do with it. These are things I need to work on. I was told I would hear by the end of March. It WAS the end of March.... what does it mean if you don't hear. Are there so many applicants that they are having to take longer to decide? Did mine get tossed out in the first round and they were going to tell me last? Was I a top pick and they wanted to tell the others first so they were just waiting to let the winners know? Luckily- I was on Spring Break and visiting with both of my sisters when I got the email. It was bittersweet, of course. April 3, 2014 " We would like to inform you that the selection panel judges have completed their review of teacher applicants and have submitted their recommendations to IIE and Hilton Worldwide. On behalf of Hilton Worldwide and the Institute of International Education, I would like to inform you that you have been selected as a Runner-Up for the 2014 Hilton Worldwide Teacher Treks Program: Travel Grant. As a Runner-Up of this program, you were among the top 1% of candidates who applied to this program. The 2014 selection process was highly competitive with a large response from experienced and eligible educators from all over the United States." Here is who won: http://www.iie.org/Programs/Hilton-Teacher-Treks-Program/2014-Grant-Recipients#2014-Grant-Recipients Of course- It was a big blow to me as I was so set on traveling. I did get $1500 for being a runner-up and I was very grateful for that, but it wasn't the $6,000. I decided to go on a run to clear my head and ponder it all. My mind raced with new ideas... maybe I should just go back to New Mexico and stay in the Airstream again... maybe I needed to travel to Peru (it's on my bucket list)... maybe I'm supposed to slow down and just go to the pool and paint and sculpt at home.... the ideas were endless and my brain wouldn't stop... but nothing felt RIGHT. I was set on Kenya. Plus my three school aged kids were accounted for June 28 - July 11. I had an opportunity to seize! Fifteen hundred dollars sounds like a lot to travel on, but with plane tickets at $2000 to Nairobi it goes quickly. If I could APPLY that grant money and then raise the rest then I could still go. It was just a matter of a little red tape. Lois introduced me through a email to a woman named Serah Mucha. At the time I didn't realize just how much Serah was going to be able to help me with my plans. In fact, I had no idea that she was going to not only be the one that was able to get me into the schools, but she also owned her own homestay ( http://www.mdawidahomestay.com/# ) in addition to helping manage a nonprofit with her husband. http://kosmossolutions.org/#
Serah has been my "go to" woman during this whole process. Since the grant was only a shot in the dark to get to Kenya I was very grateful that she was so willing to take take to help me figure out a itinerary to submit to the Hilton Teacher Trek Program. After telling her what I wanted to experience: visiting schools, making connections, visiting artists, understanding life in a village, getting to know the geography, having a little safari adventure, seeing the Indian Ocean, getting to know the culture of Kenya she created an amazing itinerary for me. I knew that if I didn't win this grant I was going to have to find some way to still take this trip. It was too real already and there was already another person on the other side of the world invested in me. The opportunity was too great. My fingers were crossed. Kenya was calling me. The proposed itinerary: June 29, 2014 Arrive in Nairobi Picked up at airport and dropped at Mdawida Homestay http://www.mdawidahomestay.com/# June 30, 2014 10 am - 4 pm: Nairobi Day Tour Visit the Giraffe Centre http://giraffecenter.org/, Elephant Orphanage http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/, and the Karen Blixen Museum http://www.museums.or.ke/content/blogcategory/13/19/ July 1, 2014 9 am: Visit Women's Group in Kibera that creates crafts. Spend the morning with them to hear their story. (Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa. Wikipedia) 2 pm: Visit various craft shops and talk to the different artisans. July 2, 2014 9 am - 4 pm: School Visits Visit a few schools- private, public, and community run schools (high school and primary) July 3 -5 , 2014 With hired driver depart for Wongonyi Village. The village has been visited by Western Carolina University students the last four years. (Here I will get a true sense of the village life in Kenya as well as how development issues affect a village in Kenya.) July 5 - 6, 2014 Whole Day Tour to Tsavo National Park http://www.kws.org/parks/parks_reserves/TENP.html Overnight stay at Voi Safari Lodge http://www.tsavopark.com/entries/voi-safari-lodge July 6 - 9, 2014 9 am: Depart for Diani Beach South Coast July 9, 2014 6 am: Whole Day Travel to Nairobi July 10, 2014 Depart from Kenya July 11, 2014 Arrive in Asheville, NC I decided I needed some help with my decision of which country I should apply to visit through the travel grant so I decided to call Lois. Dr. Lois Petrovich-Mwaniki was the perfect person to discuss this with. She has been my thesis adviser in graduate school at Western Carolina University and was the former Chair of the Art Education Department there. She has recently retired as the Director of International Programs and Services at Western and was very familiar with traveling abroad. On top of that we had been part of a the Global Partnership grant where we both got to host and stay with Japanese educators. She knows me, my personality, and my love of creating and teaching global connections (she was actually a big part of teaching me how to do this) and... I trusted her opinion.
When I called her she was thrilled to help me and had more information that I could even take in all at once. I took notes as we talked and I asked many questions about the art in different regions of Africa, the safety of traveling alone, the geography/animals, and the connections to schools she already had there. Lois gave me her suggestions and I decide to rank my three choices as 1) Kenya, 2) Tanzania, and 3) South Africa. One of the biggest reasons I ended up choosing Kenya was because Lois is actually married to a Kenyan man, Dr. Nyaga Mwaniki, who also was a professor at Western Carolina University and he had been taking students to Kenya through the Anthropology department for years. I could basically mimic the trip that he took his students on with an emphasis on art. I now had the connections I needed to get into some of the schools in Nairobi as well as personal friends of Lois and Nyaga to take care of my well being. When your principal sends an email you should always read it. Back in January Ms. Barnette forwarded our faculty an opportunity about a travel grant. I immediately clicked on the link to see what it was all about. It sounded too good to be true.... really? The Hilton would let you CHOOSE where you wanted to travel in the world for 2-3 weeks this summer and give you $6,000 to do it?!!! The only catch was you had to choose a country where there was a Hilton and you had to answer a few questions and submit a couple of references.
To click on the same map I did to see the options (and do your own dreaming) go here: http://www3.hilton.com/en/destinations/index.html?cid=OM,HH,Regional,MainRedirect. Hmmmm.... everywhere sounded pretty good in the middle of January! However, I had already been to Japan, China, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, Italy, and Switzerland. I needed to travel somewhere really different... somewhere where I could really grow as a person and as an educator. I also needed a place that aligned with the Common Core and Essential Standards so I could make meaningful collaborations with the other teachers in my school. Africa. Yep. That was the one. The one?!!! Africa is a whole continent and I realized all my life I have said. "I want to visit AFRICA", yet Africa is full of diversity and a whole lot of countries that have one or more Hiltons in them. It was time to do some research. I needed to see which countries I would be safest in and experience a vast amount of culture, art, schools, geography, and people in a short amount of time. This is really when my obsession that I MUST travel to Africa kicked in. Google was on fire as I gave myself mini lessons on the countries of Africa (at least the ones with a Hilton). |
AuthorLaura Mitchell is the art teacher at North Buncombe Middle School in Weaverville, NC, mother of three, runner of trails, and on a quest to find kindred friends for herself and her students both near, far, and in between. Archives
June 2016
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