Mixed emotions

Today can only be described as an "up and down" sort of day. We walked from BLISS to Kithoka Primary School this morning, and it was just as fun as I imagined it would be. As usual, the children were extremely happy to see us-- crowds of primary school kids ran up to us as we walked into the yard. We split up into two teaching groups, one for reading and one for math. I opted for the reading group because revisiting long-forgotten math skills would probably cause me to become physically ill.

I picked several books from the school library and headed over to a first/second grade classroom to read to the students. I was surprised at how interactive the young students were, especially given their relatively basic English skills. They were able to answer our questions about the alphabet and name each animal in the picture book I showed them. After reading through several books, we migrated outside to interact with a larger group of students. Within minutes, my hair became the center of attention... I've learned that wearing my hair down is the best path of action here because it provides kids with endless entertainment. I was basically blinded by the flying locks of partially braided hair and smiling children that crowded my field of vision. "Your hair is so big!" the students told me. I'm thankful that my mom was so violent while brushing my hair as a child because now I have no nerve endings in my scalp, so I was unaffected by the hair-pulling/untangling. Many of the older girls hugged me, held my hands, and stroked my hair. One even told me that I am her best friend. I'm going to miss the kindred spirits of Kenya so much when I am forced to leave in about a week.

This is when one of the "down" parts of my day happened. I let some of the children play with camera as we ran around in the dusty schoolyard. I was hesitant to hand my camera over to a group of hyperactive kids, but I knew it would make them happy, so I decided I would just keep a close eye on their activities. When I finally retrieved my camera, I noticed that something was wrong. The screen displayed blurry images and I was unable to take photos, which was pretty distressing. When we got back to the Thiiri Center for lunch, I headed into the computer lab to research potential solutions to my camera problem, but the only suggestion that came up was "bang the camera against your palm until the error message goes away." I was skeptical, but the solution was corroborated by various sources, so I decided I had nothing to lose. I am EXTREMELY pleased to announce that after about an hour of firmly hitting my camera/looking like a maniac, I have officially resolved my technological difficulties. I don't know how I would have lived without my (expensive) camera for the next two weeks!

Tonight is our last night with our host families, so I'm feeling a bit sad at the prospect of saying goodbye. However, I used the new photo printer at BLISS to print a family picture of me, Mo, Lucy, Joshua, and Brenda. I will frame it this evening and give it to to my host family at dinner as a going away present... I think they will truly appreciate the gesture. I had the internet card at my homestay last night, so we set up a Skype session with my American parents and my Kenyan family-- quite a funny exchange, but I'm glad they were able to "meet."

We also got our safari hats this afternoon! Two words: RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED. Plus, they had different hat sizes, which means that I was able to find one that actually fits on my giant Boudreau/Ruhlman head. Family members, you know what I'm talking about. There's a reason my mom had a C-section when I was born. Too much information? Oops.

I'll have more to say soon. Until then, here are a couple of pictures.

Me with some of the older students at Kithoka.

This is the picture I'm giving my family tonight.