IM ENGAGED!!!

ok i lied, im not engaged, but this man (David) proposed today while we were at the market!

He's been there the last 2 times we've gone and so i guess we was waiting a respectable time before he popped the question! He didn't give me a ring, but he offered me some pretty nice deals with all my souvenirs. And for the things i wanted that his shop didn't have, he'd follow me around and tell his friends, that were also sellers, that i was his sweetheart and that they should give me a good deal!

After i left i couldn't help but think..."what would it be like to get married to a kenyan and live here"

and NO mom and dad, im not considering it, havent even entertain the idea...but its funny to think sometimes about how your life could go. I think its givin me a new perspective of what it means to truly put yourself in someone elses shoes...i can see the poverty, the different culture, the corruption...and i can empathize and imagine how difficult some aspects of kenyan life must be...i can even come to kenya for 2 months and serve at an orphanage, see the sites and experience the culture...and even if certain aspects resonate with me, it is not my own. I have begun to really respect those people who really "get into" whatever they're doing; those who not only serve the hungry, but become hungry themselves to know how it feels.

Now im not saying thats what everyone should do...i think there is a purpose of privilege, but thats another conversation. im just saying that as i left the market today wondering..what if i took Davids proposal seriously? how would my life change? i became extremely grateful for my reality back home! i guess it was just one of those funny God moments!

The "S" word

another funny anecdote for you all:
Today at dinner i sat with Canaan, which contains some of the liveliest, goofiest, most energetic boys you'll ever meet. I sat on the end of the table, all the way across from Davis, which is a treat because he is SO fun to look at! (i understand that may sound a little creepy but he is beautiful beyond words!) To my left is a boy named Dennis and to my right, Andrew.
Dennis strolled in with lime green shades, the kind that have a rainbow reflection! He's one of those kids that is always in trouble...either being detained in school or missing meals or activities outside of school but i kinda have a heart for the kid because i cant help but think of friends that are JUST like him, always in trouble but have the biggest hearts or the greatest sense of humor! Andrew on the other hand would seem to have the opposite appearance. He wears glasses that dont quite fit his face and while he has one of the biggest smiles around, his front incisors couldn't be more crooked. He's the leader in boy scouts and seems to have a permanent march to his step. (he's what we'd call a nerd back home, but is one of the sweetest boys in school!)
After noticing that Dennis had collected 2 extra eggs, i asked how he's accomplished such a feat! (giving away and getting food in the dining hall requires much skill!) he sarcastically told me God had sent them. (i couldn't help but wish God would similarly swipe the rest of my food off my plate) and then out of nowhere Dennis looks at me and sings, "im sexy and i know it!" (click here for a taste of the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyx6JDQCslE)
I instantly burst into tears! "where did you hear that song?" i asked. he calmly replied..."the radio." and then Andrew chimes in..."grab somebody sexy tell em hey!"(a clip from a pitbull/neyo song called "give me everything!) again i keeled over and laughed until my face was red and i could no longer breathe! Andrew leaned closer to me and whispered...i know why you're laughing! i replied, "is that so?" he said "yes, its cause we're using the "S" word!"
all i could muster through my guffaws (which i was getting glared at for letting out) was "yup....that darn "S" word!"
these kids, im tellin ya!

MAMAS

    As i filled you all in on each cottage and how devotions are run, i left out a MAJOR piece of the story! The reason devotions are one of my favorite aspects of my time here is because of the MAMAS!!!
I have yet to learn all the individual stories of each mama, but so far, from what i gather, each has come from a trail of ups and downs, trials and tribulation, twists and turns that some of us could never imagine! and its not as if once they got here their lives became a breeze...their job here seems extremely difficult and exhausting! they are each in a cottage with 12 children (ages ranging anywhere from 3-14). 
     As i tutor children one on one i continue to realize the immense challenge it must be to be in charge of, look after and love 12 kids at the same time...all with different learning styles, processing mechanisms, insecurities, questions etc...But its been really fun to join the cottages for devotion or meals and work more and more with the kids because you get to see how the spirit of the mamas is reflected in each kid.

    Like mama esther LOVES to sing and you can almost tell which kids are hers because they too are always singing! She is also such a gentle spirit and her boys carry that same trait with them! Mama mary is interactive...during devotions she constantly stops throughout the story to ask questions or tie the lesson or theme into life. She seems to fuel her girls curiosity as they constantly ask questions or want clarification. Mama Lydia is funny (sometimes sarcastic) and it trickles down to her boys who are constantly laughing or joking around (sometimes getting in trouble for it). Auntie Lydia is a ray of sunshine, she is welcoming and inviting, always smiling! Likewise, her boys have that same warm disposition!

    These mamas not only put in time and work (although those tangible things are very important) they feed and grow their kids spirits! They fill a void that i feel no child should have...a hole in their lives where their parents should be. And normally that hole would be so gaping and destructing, but the mama's step in and begin to fill that hole. They are a constant source of love and support, security, hope and comfort to the kids who need it most. And while their job is in my opinion the MOST important here, i also believe it is also often the job most overlooked.

(the beautiful and magnificent mama Esther!)

devotions

I've mentioned cottage devotions a couple times, but havent informed you all on the nuts and bolts...so i thought now would be a good time to do that!

there are 8 cottages:
joppa-mama esther
bethel-auntie joyce
bethany-mama miriam
bethsaida-auntie lydia
canaan- mama lydia
ebenezer-mama mary
shalom-mama rosylnn
nazareth- mama winnie
They have devotions every night at 7:30 but we only go tuesday and friday evenings...and switch off so that we go to each cottage fairly equally!

now, they all do devotions a little differently, but for the most part they all follow the some structure.
they are opened with a couple hymns, which the children sing beautifully, but which are usually butchered by me! then they read a story from the bible and are then required to share something they learned from the story, sometimes its more theme based and other times they are quizzed on the specifics (towns, names etc...) then the mamas usually give a little blurp on the lesson and then there's usually time for the kids to ask questions to the guest (me!).

without fail, EVERY single cottage asks about my diabetes (even if they asked about it the previous time)- the phrase "is it pain?" rings in my ear as i walk home. I've also been asked questions (and thoroughly interrogated) about my family, university, planes, food, president obama, our prison system...as you can see it really varies and sometimes i can't help but laugh as i think "what kinda kids wanna know about politics?"

Devotions are probably my favorite part of the week because its the time i get to be with the kids and mama alone, and thats actually pretty rare around here! i usually walk in to each cottage to find them all  (ages 3-12) sitting criss-cross apple sauce on the floor in matching flannel pajamas and i just melt! When i leave kids are hanging all over me, asking me to stay...sometimes the whole cottage will have a good night song to sing me. i always leave feeling like im the coolest person in the world and dont stop smiling til i lay my head on my pillow...its quite the confidence booster!

the girls at Ebenezer!

Some of my favorite boys at Bethsaida (and of course auntie lydia is a GEM!)

Mama Mary and i...we share our common love for tube socks!

TUITION

so tutoring here is known as tuition, and it is the job i am engaged in most throughout the week, so i thought it was about darn time i filled you all in on exactly what it is that i do here!!!
SOOOO, monday-friday there is school and i am the 1st and 2nd grade aid, so apart from making awesome posters, covering books and making copies for the teachers, who are very sweet and kind...i work one on one with students through out the day, as well as after school. The students i work with after school happen to be the same hooligans i see during the day, so we've started to form quite a bond!
After the school assembly (which is every morning at 7:50) my team switches off reading to the preschoolers (its my favorite time of day!) then i take clint or benard (we switch off every day-they are both in class 2) for reading for about an hour. After tea, i help Kilonzi (also class 2) with math. (Sadly the subtraction and addition flash cards are also a great refresher of my own math skills!) After lunch i work on reading with Susan, one of the sweetest, quietest girls in first grade. And then i finish up the day with random jobs from teachers or other staff...and sometimes if im lucky, get the chance to take a quick nap!
What im having a hard time with as i work with these kids is creativity! I'v always known that kids (people for that matter) learn so differently and what works for one student might not work for another but after so many different methods of adding and subtracting i sometimes get discouraged! and reading!!!..how do i teach a kid to read other than the old fashioned "sound it out!" so im trying to be creative; for the readers, trying to bring the stories to life...experience what it is they're reading about so they understand that words have meaning! and for math...i've started a hands on approach where i make Kilonzi physically add or subtract things from a pile...some days its books, others its pieces of paper. And even still, after days and days of review i sometimes fail to see them making connections! i am not mentioning this to say they are dumb...far from it (in fact if anything im only pointing out the areas where my teaching skills could improve!) but its made me extremely grateful for good teachers and has even softened my heart towards bad ones (because im afraid i might be put in that category if there's a master list somewhere!) and a quick shout out: Its made me extremely grateful and proud of my mom (who's a fabulous 3rd grade teacher) and although i've ALWAYS looked up to her, her heroism has reached new heights in my mind...i work with 4 students...most often 1 on 1...she works with 20 somethin kids who all have different needs, different deficiencies etc..and then comes home to take care of her crazy family! (i love you mom, you're great!)
so anyways...if anyone out there reading this is a teacher, or has a passion for learning and you have advice on how to teach so that kids actually absorb what you're teaching, any thoughts or pieces of advice are much appreciated! (im also in the business of praying...and am thankful for anyone who wants to take part in praying for me and the students!)
                                     (its become tradition to take a picture everyday after tutoring
                 so the next couple are of me, benard and clint doin our usual after school shenanigans!)

 and i can't load the video of kilonzi, but i will try to get something up soon!!!

TEA FARM!

This last weekend we traveled about an hour outside of the compound to a tea farm...you would think we flew to england because this place was the cutest, most quaint place i'v ever stepped foot into! There were rolling hills (35 acres worth) of tea all around us! I wanted to steal the woman who owned it...her name is fiona, she has a british accent and was the dearest soul i've ever met! (for those that are familiar with the movie Hook...she kinda reminded me of the grandma!) anyways, she LOVES tea, and its nearly impossible to not join in on her love by the time you leave! We spent the first 45 mins or so talking about tea, how its planted, picked, sold...whats good tea, whats bad tea etc...(so if you need some tea advice, holler at me, im now quite the expert!) then we took a small walking tour of some of the grounds-saw how the tea is picked as well as traveled into a small part of their forest where we learned about which trees are used for medicinal purposes and what not! Our guide Julius was the man! (he carried a sword to ward off trespassers!) and as i would kinda tease him about certain things, he shot right back and stumped me a few times, needless to say he earned my highest respect!
                                                        (becky, anna, myself and carson!)

FIONA!!!

PLEASE, NO MORE FOOD!!!

with the permission from my roommate, i have to share another funny food story!
So there are 8 mamas, some of which let us serve ourselves dinner (or at least ask how much we would like) but the majority serve you (and because its a cultural thing and they are trying to be generous they give you SO MUCH FOOD!) if you read the last blog about food, you may think im over-exaggerating, but im hoping this story will help you to realize, i am most certainly not!
so one of the mamas either loves us SO much or hates us SO much cuz she's known for her huge helpings...so we're walking home from dinner and i ask carson, how was your dinner? and i notice tears starting to well up in her eyes...before i can ask whats wrong she says-now sobbing- "she gave me SOO much food...im sooo full!!!" immediately me, anna and becky drop to the floor crying! perhaps not the most sensitive reaction, but we couldn't help it (in fact i think a piece of all of us wanted to cry with her-knowing her pain!)