A Wet Muddy Day

Greetings from the land of swishy mud. It rained again today, and after being in Kibera my jeans are covered with mud. I'm thinking of Grandma, and how you always asked me if maybe my pants should be hemmed shorter so they don't drag. I think I'll take scissors and cut them off before wearing them again...my version of hemming here :) I'm wearing mom's green raincoat, which i'm guessing is probably from the 80's. Let's just say that I definitely stand out. Most of the day I'm in Kibera, so it doesn't really matter what you wear. But then in the afternoons we come back to the city and everyone's wearing suits...except for me in the bright green coat. Whatev.

We taught 3 classes today, and now my throat is scratchy b/c you have to yell for anyone to hear you. Even when I get my class under control, which is do-able, it doesn't matter, b/c many other classes are being taught right next door by other Kenyans and the kids are crazy loud. we taught this class about telling time today, and they're in 5th grade and have no clue and i'm not sure if our teaching clarified anything. but then again, this is africa and time is irrelevant. we're going to try to make paper plate clocks to take back for them to practice with but i can't find any brads here to assemble the hands with. i've decided even if i'm only in a class for a half-hour, i think maybe we are teaching them something. I think the teachers at this school are underpaid, undertrained, and worn out, so they like having a break when we come. they are supposed to have CRE (Christian Religious Education) everyday, but I think it only gets taught when the MSTs come. so i hope we're at least feeding their souls even if they never learn to tell time. i'm really struggling with some things that i see b/c there's not a good solution for fixing it. peter told us last night that 60% of people in kenya are living below the poverty line...the poverty line is considered earning less than $1 a day!!! i get mad at myself b/c i walk into these poverty situations everyday and yet i'm almost emotionally immune to any reaction b/c it's how it is and you see it so much.

on happier thoughts, i do want you to know that there are some truly beautiful pieces of Nairobi. all the trees are blooming with bright pink, purple, and orange flowers right now. there's lots of palm trees and some beautiful parks. and sometimes we go down streets that are filled with beautiful clean looking homes with the clay tile roofs (adobe right?) and people really do want things to be nice. for instance, i always see women sweeping the trash from in front of their houses in kibera even though the streets are just dirt. can you imagine sweeping the dirt? and eunice, our housekeeper scrubs the floor everyday. and the MSTs take turns daily cleaning the bathroom and doing dishes. and we take off our shoes before entering the house. so even if things don't appear clean, they really are trying.

yesterday we went to State House Girls School (a boarding high school) for sunday service. what i love most about church here is that people dance as they sing and worship. everyone is so expressive and free. the 4 MSTs that are here (including me) got up in front of the 1000 people and talked about the pressures of the western media and how it has affected our lives. i talked about celebrities being airbrushed in magazines and a constant expectation to look nice and how God looks at us from the inside not our outward appearance. Julie talked about being anorexic in high school. So i think it was a good discussion. there is less of a pressure here with looks...maybe because people can't afford lots of food and b/c as Peter put it, it's okay and good for African women to have a big "bum" :)