Anticipation

This is it, kids. Life is about to start! Over the past couple weeks I’ve been to 5 days of new staff orientation and 2 days of all-staff in-service, trying to learn all I am supposed to know about being on staff at RVA. It was unlike any other staff meeting I’d been to . . . since we’re not just teachers, we are dorm parents, heads of maintenance, food services, activities, deans, administrators, finance, counselors . . . and the list goes on. It was my first time to meet some staff members and to be part of the big picture – a lot of good-natured teasing and jokes about losing your retirement package or getting a raise . . . neither which apply when you live as a missionary. . . he he he.

Topics covered included how to reduce your electricity bill by turning down the thermostat on your hot water heater, where to rent a lawn mower, and reviewing the pet policy so as to keep your neighbors happy. A big part of the meetings were “the clipboards” with opportunities to serve and help out with activities – meal coverage, Sunday school, committees, blood donors, town escorts, dorm coverage . . . I’m learning that you don’t just teach at a boarding school. There are many other jobs that need to be covered. I’ve signed up for a few things – 11^th grade girls dorm coverage once a week, I’ll be doing a ‘caring community’ group once a month with my friends the Nagles, donating blood (ha), and I’m the teacher liaison for our new Accelerated Reader program. My automatic involvement in all Titchie activities means I’m not as available for high school things . . . and although I could’ve signed up for more, I didn’t want to get overwhelmed my first term.

This weekend is New Parent Orientation, for parents who are dropping off their kids as boarders for the first time. We have a full day on Sunday of meetings, introductions, forums, and games for the kids. Monday is the official “arrival day” of all of the students and Titchie – elementary school – starts Tuesday! Still working hard in my classroom to get as ready as I can. We have a lot of resources but some things I’m missing from the States – like construction paper and pencils with erasers on the end. I think I’ll be making more adjustments than the kids – they are totally used to this!

eXtreme home makeover - Kijabe Edition

Here it is, my mouse house - called so not because of a rodent problem (Elyse!), but because of its endearing size. Just don't bring over more than 3 people or you'll have to sit on the floor. It's still a work in progress . . . I have curtains down at the tailor's getting backing sewn in, and plans for some side tables, lamps, etc. BUT I am quite happy with my little place now. It's feeling homey! I hope you can get a feel for it from these pictures.

the living room:

When I first moved in:
(notice the chair in front of the fire, trying to keep warm, as well as the stellar rental furniture.)

(this one gives good perspective, as you can see into the kitchen and bathroom)

And now:
(still some rental furniture but my little couch looks comfy, huh?)

The 'dining room' - aka the table in the entryway.

the kitchen:

Then:
(lovely lace curtains)

Now:
(rigged up some napkins as stand-in curtains. thank you, target.)

Here's my fridge . . . see the cards you mailed me on it? and a lovely drawing. :)

bathroom:

bedroom:

Then . . .

Now:
Got a little creative with some homemade art. You can't really see my anthropologie additions but they are REALLY cute!

Super Missionary!

For your viewing enjoyment, I present . . . SUPER MISSIONARY. This is the Broadway-worthy play/musical that had its debut at ABO. I know I've been short on pictures recently, so if you have 10 minutes to kill, you can watch this thing. In its defense, it may have a lot of inside jokes based on what we learned at ABO . . . and I actually haven't been able to preview this, due to internet speed not really being speedy. I just swiped the link from a friend's blog.

Just a note of thanks - I've received so many cards, packages, phone calls, emails, blog comments . . . thanks so much, guys! I feel really loved. :) Now I'm stealing an idea from a friend - I'd love to get a picture of you so I can keep you in my prayers. My goal is to cover my ENTIRE fridge. You can email them to me - just keep the files small enough to send but big enough to get printed without fuzzy pixelation. I'll let you find that magic formula. OR, even better, just mail me one . . . because sending letters to Africa is cool and receiving them in Africa is even MORE cool.

Coming soon . . . pictures of the house! I've been decorating! :)

What it Means to Teach at RVA

In the two months since I’ve left home, I’ve been going through changes and transitions and maybe lost sight of the goal, what with ABO and then waiting around here for things to happen . . . I may have gotten a little me-focused: setting up my house, my classroom, etc. Today was our first day of new staff orientation, which was more inspiring, emotional, and interesting than the name might suggest. Our superintendent did the devotions and “Welcome to RVA” portion and spent some time explaining our reason for being here. It sounds like a simple thing, but I left feeling really challenged and blessed.

Our primary purpose is to enable the parents of our students to do ministry. I think I got chills as he expounded on the history and ministry of RVA – our students come from 80 mission organizations and do work all over Africa. I knew that stat before I got here, but it takes on a new meaning now. The vision statement is: "Rift Valley Academy seeks, within the African context, to disciple, nurture, and educate students toward Christian maturity for the glory of God." Discipleship is the aim, and education the byproduct.

It is such a joy to work in a place where this is the goal. The history of RVA is testimony to God’s work here – from keeping students safe to providing staff in miraculous ways.

The challenging part is that I feel so inadequate . . . for starters, I’m the only fourth grade teacher here. But more intimidating is the fishbowl atmosphere created within the fence of the school. Everything we do as staff is a witness to these kids. I have so many opportunities to model Christ in my teaching, in my relationships, in my daily habits and attitudes . . . and with that comes so many opportunities to screw up.

Fortunately, I’m told that inadequacy is a good place to be. It’s a lesson I’ve learned many times over the years – that God likes to use weak people, for they are most reliant on Him. He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

I don’t want you to get bored with my blog as I wax eloquently on the privilege of working here . . . so I’m providing this handy link to the Mt. Longonot webcam. That’s our dormant volcano that sits opposite campus. Right now it’s dark but I hope you get a clear view of it tomorrow!

Observations

Needs: RVA is still in need of staff for the upcoming school year. I don’t know how it will all pull together, but I am confident it will. My new neighbor was just at candidate week in June and raised enough support in two months to make it out here to teach for a year. On top of that, she tells me there are staff here who went to candidate week in August and hopped on a plane a week later. That is incredible, and testimony to how God provides despite our systems and needs. Please pray that the right people will fill in these positions. I know of at least one family still waiting for the support to come in, hoping to arrive in October (which leaves important classes without a teacher for a month, at least.) Feel like an adventure? I know we could use you here!

Eating Wildlife: A few weeks ago I heard a story about some high school kids who were out for a piki (dirt bike) ride when they came across a lame lamb. They inquired about purchasing it, and were told it was for sale for a mere 200 KSH ($3.50). The jubilant boys strapped it to the back of their pikis and had a lamb roast the next day. Observed: two seventh grade girls procuring their “first bird” – as in the first bird they hit, cleaned, gutted, fried up, and ate. The thing was about three inches long, like a sparrow. Today I heard about some other kids who did the exact same thing – cooked up a bird in their mom’s frying pan. Yikes.

Becoming a Resident: Today I left RVA at 7am to become an official resident of Kenya. This process involved mostly standing in line and sitting and waiting. I was also fingerprinted – all ten of my fingers were inked and pressed rather forcefully onto a piece of paper. Then I was given a wad of cotton and some “spirits” – turpentine – to scrub it off with. It did a number on my nails. But really, it didn’t take too long and I was thankful to be helped along during the whole process. Plus I got some groceries and a lunch in Nairobi out of the deal.

Last Day of Freedom: That would be tomorrow. Wednesday we start our new staff orientation, and then it’s work days . . . and then school starts September 2^nd! I’m excited and ready, at least mentally. The classroom still needs some work. I’m also excited because more new staff and returning staff have arrived! More friends!

Culinary Successes and Failures

I love to blame things on the altitude – I can’t run, it’s the altitude. My fire won’t start – it’s the altitude. My students are squirrely – it’s the altitude. (I plan to use that one.) But with cooking, I think I really can blame the altitude.

In Charlotte, my 3 roommates and I would take turns cooking for the entire week, which was a good system. We came up with cooking superlatives one night – Jenny was the MVP, Erin the MIP, and Meg the MUP – Most Unpredictable (once we cooked pork loin for 5 hours . . . and ate at 8:30). I was the one without an acronym – the “Easiest Method” or “Most Likely to take a Shortcut” cook. I saw the value in saving time and buying marinated curried chicken and a bag of frozen biriyani (don’t forget the frozen nan!) from Trader Joe’s . . . presto, dinner is ready in 20 minutes, Indian Cuisine.

Alas, there is no frozen option in Kenya, at least that I can afford. I can’t even buy bagged lettuce. Cake mixes are $6 each and Ragu is around $8. So roll up your sleeves, folks, let’s start getting adventurous in the kitchen. My first failure was brownies. I LOVE CHOCOLATE and had dreamed of brownies for weeks . . . so I found a recipe online and went to it. No brownie mix, folks. Melt the chocolate with the butter, grease the pan (no cooking spray here!), light the oven with a match . . . way too much time and effort for brownies that came out completely flat and tasted like Blue Band, our fantastic margarine made from palm nut oil. I haven’t given up on the brownie adventure yet, I’m just waiting to use a recipe that uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. I think that would be better for the altitude issue.

Time to share a success: American cereal is $10/box so I’ve been using the South African granola or muesli with yogurt for breakfast (I really don’t like it with milk). When I first got here, a dorm mom told me that she made her own yogurt – this completely freaked me out, but I soon saw the reasoning behind it. After grocery shopping a few times and paying close to a dollar for a Yoplait-sized container that tastes nothing like Yoplait, and then running out of yogurt before the next trip to Nairobi . . . I decided to give it a go. I followed the directions as best as I could – heat milk on the stove, cool it, add a yogurt culture, then keep it warm for 8 hours so it firms up. The first attempt was a failure, as the yogurt never firmed up. So I sought advice, changed a few things, and did it again . . . and success! Granted it didn’t taste like Yoplait either but I can excuse it when I made it myself.

It’s amazing what people make here – hot fudge sauce, tortillas, bagels, English Muffins, pizza sauce, pizza crust, ricotta cheese, cream cheese . . . amazing, I tell you. By the time I leave I’m going to be Super Cook, I know it.

There it is, homemade yogurt. And a lily from my garden.

My Second African Birthday

Well, yesterday I reached the mature age of 24. I think this is going to be a good age - even numbers, sounds quite a bit older than 23, and hey, I live in Africa. This is not my first African Birthday - I celebrated my very first birthday in Nairobi in 1985, visiting my cousins. (For more of my intriguing life story, see the "Why Africa?" link on the right side of the blog.) As you can see, I appreciate vintage clothing . . .

While this year didn't involve party hats, it did include several long distance phone calls - the first at 6am from my parents. They DO understand time zones, they just wanted to go to bed . . . or, as my mom said, she didn't want me to start my day without a birthday phone call. :) It was wonderful to have a nice long newsy phone call! My friend Meghan called later in the morning and my Charlotte roommates rounded out the day with a call at midnight - not their fault, they'd had Skype on redial for 3 hours! Thanks for being persistent, girls!


In between the calls I had a nice sunny day to enjoy with special treats from friends here. My mantel is loaded with birthday cards from friends near and far. And today I received a really loaded package from the roommates. I think my emotions on opening it could be labeled "ecstatic." Even though customs opened every single of the individually-wrapped goodies, I could still see how cute the wrapping was and enjoyed it THOROUGHLY. A box of American goodness with little notes and personal touches from girls who know me too well . . . I kind of cried . . . in a good way!

A Theo update . . . (the egg stealer) - he tried it again yesterday, while I was in the house! He needs to be adopted soon . . . I know you wouldn't think it, from the look of him.

Flowers grow here at an astonishing rate. We have poinsettia trees and geranium bushes! My house has calla lilies and irises - but unfortunately they aren't blooming at the moment. I went on a scouting tour to see what I could plant on the other side of the house and saw this butterfly in my neighbor's yard.

And my favorite creature feature: I puppy-sat this weekend for a German Shepard/Rottweiler mix belonging to my friends, the Janders. I only had her for a few hours but she managed to pee in my classroom once and in the house twice. Ahem. But how can you resist that face?

Running at 7,500 feet

I've been busy this week, with LAMP and classroom setup (or intended setup) and sunny days . . . sorry for the three posts at once. It takes me a while to feel inspired. Enjoy, or split them up - one for the next three days. :)

One of my greatest accomplishments this week has been tackling the running scene. We were blessed with three sunny days in a row – I can not describe the wonderful affect this had on my morale and desire to exercise. The first day of full sun the whole campus did laundry – there is something about my yellow sheets flapping on the clothes line . . .

So, after a week or so of avoiding altitude sickness, I laced up my trail runners and took to the rocky road. It wasn’t pretty, climbing those hills, but the downhill wasn’t so bad, and I discovered the field – 5 laps = a mile. We have two fields on campus so that’s a bit of variation. It was just so fantastic to wear shorts for the first time since I left and log some miles! Today when I headed to the field, I found two women taking their lunch break. They conveniently helped me keep track of my laps – while I huffed and puffed, they would lie in the grass and hold up fingers to show how many laps I’d completed as I went by. Nice. But I was nice and inspired to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies this afternoon. Cheer hard for those Kenyan runners!

Since it was sunny, I took some pictures along guard's trail - that is the trail around RVA that hugs the fence, called so because that's what the guards walk (not sure when, I only see them at the gates.) It was still a bit hazy - the farmers in the valley REALLY need rain. The last picture is Killer Hill - well, halfway up. I can't get the whole thing in. And if you think I'm exaggerating, you come out here and try running up it. I dare you.

I found out that there is a half marathon in Nairobi in the middle of November. Do I dare to run a half in Kenya? It is the same race as the Nairobi marathon, and the average time is an hour something. That’s right - average. The good thing about this race would be that there are others here training, and I could leave campus a bit – safety in numbers. But that would mean leaving the shorts behind. You can’t have it all . . .

Wednesday we played flag football and I may have made the only tackle in the game – and cost our team some yards – but we still won by I think 4 TDs. So the tackle was well worth it, I think.

Adventures in Language Learning

This week the RVA newbies took a 3-day language course, LAMP – which stands for Language Acquisition Made Practical. It was developed by some missionaries as a relationship-based way to learn a language, specifically for places where there is no written language. AIM has adapted the program a bit and developed a video series to coach us through the process. We had an abbreviated course since it really isn’t necessary to speak anything but English at RVA.

All five of us decided to go for Kiswahili. English and Kiswahili are the official languages of Kenya, and all students will learn both in the public schools. However, there are many tribes in Kenya, and each tribe speaks their own language. The most prominent tribe in our area is the Kikuyu, and some RVA staff are attempting that difficult language. But since I’m not going to live at RVA for the rest of my life . . . Kiswahili it is.

I actually enjoyed the class. In the morning we watched the videos and talked about strategies to direct our own learning. In the afternoon we were paired with a language helper and given a phrase or two to master and practice. Since I spent 3 months in Tanzania in college, I know a bit of Swahili. Granted, it was four years ago that I learned and used it, but I was pleased to find phrases coming to mind. I was also surprised to see the difference between Tanzanian and Kenyan Swahili . . . I’m not sure if it’s Kenya in general or just this area, but they will just drop pronouns and conjunctions at random. In a sense it makes it easier but I have to learn which words to drop and which to keep.

Of course I made some faux pas . . . my first day out I got into a conversation with some men at the gas station. I was feeling pretty pleased, as was Tabitha, as they asked me where I was from and what I was doing at RVA and I was able to answer them. (I mean, hello, first time using the language in 4 years! I felt like a superstar!) But then there was a bit of confusion when they asked me if I “understood” and I said yes. Turns out they were actually asking if I was “married.” The verbs sounded the same to me – “kuolewa” vs “kuelewa.” So we got it sorted out but I’m a superstar no longer.

In the end I decided I’d like to keep up with this and Tabitha is coming for two hours next week. The girl is brilliant – more on that later. Once school starts I’ll probably only go to once a week. Wish me luck!

Tea Farm

What a quaint little visit we had! Even the drive out there was like stepping into a different world – rolling fields of tea stretching in every direction. It was a foggy day, which only added to the old world beautify of the area.

When we first arrived, the owner, a sweet English gentleman, took us to the garden to show us a tea bush up close, and demonstrate the ‘two leaves and a bud’ that the pickers will pluck. Such beautiful flowers!

We went inside for a cup of tea (of course) and heard the history of the farm as well as a brief lesson on tea. The English gentleman’s wife told the story of how her grandfather came to Kenya on a boat and saw potential for tea growing in Limuru. Her mother grew up there as well, and now she owns the land and keeps the tea legacy alive.

We rolled up our pants and tramped through the mud to get a tour of the farm and a view of the fields. This young gentleman was back in Kenya visiting his grandparents and very expertly assisted in the tour.

We also enjoyed a fabulous multi-course lunch with more spoons than I knew what to do with. I can’t forget to mention the monkeys and the dogs – a good farm wouldn’t be complete without several kinds of dogs keeping the monkeys in line. Unfortunately for these dogs, they feed the monkeys on this farm.

But unfortunately for these monkeys, this little Jack Russell is mightier than he looks. The owner told me quite seriously how he had gotten a baby monkey the week before. He was severely disciplined. I’m quite impressed, given his size! I’d like to have him around here . . .

Invasion of the Wildlife

It has been Home Improvement around here. I've been preparing to paint, which is this fun job of sanding down all the shiny oil-based paint so that I can put (less shiny) latex paint on top. I've also been to Nairobi and made the difficult, victorious decision of whether to buy a couch or not - I decided YES! And then the agonizing of which one, which fabric, which color . . . oh, my. My principal's wife Melissa was extremely encouraging and helpful. She was literally chanting "You can do this, Erica! You want this!" I just have a hard time with decisions . . . I also ordered a desk to be made and picked up my curtains from the tailor and had curtain rods hung. Phew!

Of course there are some adventures . . . I couldn't handle the sanding process on my own so I've hired Joseph to give me a hand. He started the day on Thursday with lugging this ginormous pile of wood from in front of the hedge -where it was dropped a week ago - into my shed (Ginormous - gigantic + enormous, it's in the dictionary) . I was inside avoiding the drizzle when he ran to the door laughing. "I've made a mistake!" I wasn't sure what kind of mistake could be made while moving logs . . . "I left the door open and there are Sykes in your shed!" Being the wise Kijabe resident that I am, I knew that Sykes are a type of smaller monkey common here at RVA. Apparently the monkeys had discovered tea biscuits left by the previous resident and were stealing them and taking them up into the tree by the shed. Indignant, I stuck the telephoto on my camera and ran outside to capture the moment. Joseph and I hid behind the house and watched the monkeys dart down the tree and grab the cookies . . . me snapping away rather unsuccessfully. As I looked down at my camera in frustration, I realized the lens was shattered! Such dismay! I carried that thing all the way from Oklahoma to Pearl River to Nairboi to Machakos to Kijabe . . . I didn't pack it . . . and somehow in there it was broken. *sigh. But I talked to my dad and he reminded me of the Best Buy warranty we purchased - PTL - and I'll send it home soon so that he can approach the lovely employees with our paperwork. I am disappointed but optimistic. Here's one picture my poor confused camera tried to get:

Animal story number two: There are a LOT of animals at RVA - many dogs and cats (as well as mongoose, monkeys, baboons, and creatures I haven't discovered yet). I am a dog person but there are some friendly cats around that I've tried to like . . . they aren't much work and I was kind of beginning to think I might enjoy one in the house. (My dad: "I don't think I can visit you if you own a cat." This from the man who accelerates when he sees one . . .) So this cat Theo is in love with my neighbor Laurie and has tried to make me love him as well. He has a habit of sneaking in whenever someone opens the door and the way he WALKS on my kitchen counter is most unattractive and I don't enjoy sanitizing after him . . . so I have decided to dismiss him from my life.

WELL, he missed the memo. I just got back from dinner and open the door to see a flash of white dart out into the dark. I was very confused, because I know Theo snuck in but I also know I chased him out right before I left. As I walked into the kitchen, it dawned on me - I had left my bedroom window open! Intruder Alert! That CAT broke into my house and ATE two of my just-purchased EGGS! And got egg on my counter and my kitchen rug! Arrrg . . . when I moved here they said "don't open your window more than this or the monkeys will get in." Well "this" doesn't prevent unwanted domestic felines from getting in. We're on lockdown now, Theo!