Summary of my latest gmail emails

Hello everyone,

Quick update - things are busy here now and I am squeezing in some internet time at the end of the day. I will try to update with more pics either later on tonight or later on in the week.

In short - some people have been emailing me with requests for the blog site again. So here it is http://jennafrica.blogspot.com/

Quick update - had a trip to the coast - Mombasa - BEAUTIFUL - unbelievably nice. But hot, hot, hot.... stinking hot.. managed to get myself a nasty burn even though I have been being so careful. So a bit pissed at myself for that.

The trip down there started off on a rocky start... I had been feeling unwell for a few days and really felt crappy on the trip down. I was thinking it was a reaction to the Malaria pills I have been taking and I think I am right. Met a fellow Canadian on the plane down who is taking the same medication and she had had the same symptoms. Basically, malaria like symptoms - headache, aches, severe cramps, loss of appetite. Not fun... So, I decided to stop taking the medication and have only just started to feel good again. It is risky, so I plan to see a doctor here and see if there is an alternative medicine I can take... but it was ridiculous that the preventative medicine was making me so ill - there was no way I was going to be able to teach properly. So cross you fingers that those pesky mosquitoes stay away from me!

Mombasa was so beautiful - exotic looking and beaches to die for.

First day of real teaching today... well more observation... many emotions. They have no resources here... but the teachers are bright, intelligent and so giving. And the kids - well kids... full of promise and enthusiasm. But at times you just feel like crying when you see young, young children lining up for a simple plate of rice and beans in a feeding program that they (the kids) pay for and that for some of them that is the only meal they get during the day. And yet, they smile and act like nothing is wrong.
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Anyway - have my first classes to teach tomorrow. Creative Arts and English - so must prepare tonight. Will be working at a local orphanage on Saturdays ... I have pics of that which I willl be posting, but maybe not tonight.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Thank you for your replies... I can't return them all personally because my internet time is preciously short. But please know I do appreciate them VERY much and stay in touch. Connie - I got your email about changing your address - I'm pressed for time tonight, but will get to it shortly.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Big hugs to you all.... this is an incredible journey. Though - I must admit... I miss MY BED!\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Jen xo\u003c/div\>\n",0]
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Anyway - have my first classes to teach tomorrow. Creative Arts and English - so must prepare tonight. Will be working at a local orphanage on Saturdays ... I have pics of that which I willl be posting, but maybe not tonight.

Thank you for your replies... I can't return them all personally because my internet time is preciously short. But please know I do appreciate them VERY much and stay in touch. Connie - I got your email about changing your address - I'm pressed for time tonight, but will get to it shortly.

Big hugs to you all.... this is an incredible journey. Though - I must admit... I miss MY BED!

Jen xo
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Hi everyone,

I am at a brutally slow internet connection tonight so cannot post pics on the blog. Sorry - I have an abundance of neat shots to share with you.

So, I thought I would give a more detailed update instead.

Mombasa is a coastal town - quite exotic - much more of a mix of Islam and Muslim with Christian then Kisumu. There is an old fort built by the Portuguese around 1560 which is the main attraction in Old Town. It has a Spanish feeling. Narrow, windy streets - gorgeous views of the coast. the coast is spotted with resorts which I had the fortune to frequent due to connections of my hosts. What i needed as i battled the side effects of my malaria medication. I swam in the Indian ocean - WARM and gorgeous, went snorkelling along the coral reef, sampled Kswahili food - my name in Luo would be Ajenni - with an emphasis on the Je syllable. So I have been introducing myself to the kids like that and they laugh and laugh. I am a Mazunge - which is a white person. And they say Jambo Mazunge, jambo! Anyway - saw some other attractions, crocodlile centre (very sticky key board so i am giving up on typos) Went to an outdoor disco and danced to about 5am.. ugh... very tired, but this is what my hosts do - it actually was a lot of fun. Went shopping in the old market.

Before going i visited a slum here in town where I will be working at an orphanage on Saturdays. The conditions here are by our standards deplorable. Shack like housing, rancid, toxic water running in ditches, animals roaming the streets, kids all over the place. But again, life abounds and the people seem to just accept it all. The Day Aid Centre is home to children who have lost both or one parent to Aids. They range from mere months to about 14 years of age. They sat and chatted with me, recited poems, sang - I captured some of the singing on video and if I can will email it to you. the two women who run the program are amazing. One of them sews uniforms for the kids - they absolutely cannot go to school without a uniform. They have a feeding program but at the moment they have no funds for this so some of these kids get no food at all. Hopefully they get a meal at school. Mary - one of the leaders - told me that she usually buys them a treat for coming. So - of course i offered to buy it - and for a mere six bucks I bought them all sodas and some bread - Mary picked up the bread, I did not know she was going to do that. So - it one respect i was happy to do this - a soda is a real treat for these kids - on the other hand it was utterly pathetic for me to see them sipping pop and eating two slices of white, fluffy wonderbread thinking this is all they were getting. I asked the kids to take me for a tour of the slum and they battled for who would hold me hand! :> The tour was an eye opener. the other leader - Mara - who sews sells material from Uganda to make some money for the food program. I ordered two outfits which will I get on Saturday! I will be able to where these to schools. Beautiful material full of colour. I go back this saturday and plan to bring one of the soccer balls.
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>I haev pics of all of this and will post.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>They have changed my school once again so I am now officially working at Jakamenda Primary school teaching English and Creative Arts. The school rooms are made of tin, wood, banboo and concrete floors. Wood benches and chairs. Blackboard. The kids do everything in copy books. they are very bright. And so far from what i see well behaved! Though I have been told to expect teh same classroom management problems as at home.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>For all us slackers at home - get this.... from grade 4 to grade 8 these kids go to school from 6:30am to 5:30pm - YEP! - with breaks and lunch. There is a prep time in the morning and after school - with formal lessons inbetween... isn't that a LONG day? Wow... amazing. THey cover everything. For music teachers out there... you will be happy to know that the curriculum is vERy strong - these kids know scales, and lots of theory by grade eight. Music is very important here.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>there are extremely limited resources. A feeding program for kids with no food.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Those are my first impressions. Must run and get food for myself and prepare lessons for tomorrow. will post pics on blog when i have a better connection and a less sticky keyboard!\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Jen xo\u003c/div\>\n",0]
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I haev pics of all of this and will post.

They have changed my school once again so I am now officially working at Jakamenda Primary school teaching English and Creative Arts. The school rooms are made of tin, wood, banboo and concrete floors. Wood benches and chairs. Blackboard. The kids do everything in copy books. they are very bright. And so far from what i see well behaved! Though I have been told to expect teh same classroom management problems as at home.

For all us slackers at home - get this.... from grade 4 to grade 8 these kids go to school from 6:30am to 5:30pm - YEP! - with breaks and lunch. There is a prep time in the morning and after school - with formal lessons inbetween... isn't that a LONG day? Wow... amazing. THey cover everything. For music teachers out there... you will be happy to know that the curriculum is vERy strong - these kids know scales, and lots of theory by grade eight. Music is very important here.

there are extremely limited resources. A feeding program for kids with no food.

Those are my first impressions. Must run and get food for myself and prepare lessons for tomorrow. will post pics on blog when i have a better connection and a less sticky keyboard!

Jen xo
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HI everyone,

Thanks for your remarks. Still battling with email here so pics will have to wait. I am trying to get wireless set up on my computer so I can sit quietly in a cafe and just work directly from there... much, much better. But... I am in school LONG hours. Update to my note on how long the kids go to school here - grades 4 to 8 - from 6:30am to 6:30pm... I taught right to 6:30pm today - I wung a two hour lesson - I don't know what I will be teaching basically until I arrive. So I made up a lesson for grade 6 for close to two hours on Canada. The kids were amazing - asking incredible questions... like "what does Canada import", "does Canada have MPs", " are there black people in Canada", "if you don't grow sugar cane, what do you put in your tea" - I did not have to answer that one - one kid asked to answer for me and answered his peer -they import it. It was remarkable. Were they tired, cranky, wanting to go? Nope... they wanted to keep asking questions well after 6;30pm I was the one ready to drop. We talked about racism, we talked about epidemics, we talked about class status.They are very aware of the third country they live in, the political state, how their government works, their state of poverty and yet their education is superb - they wanted to know everything about where I came from. I played drama games with them and they asked to play them again in the one hours "games" time from 3 to 4pm. They are unbelievably polite - every class begins with them standing up and greeting me. They ask how I am, I tell them I am fine. They respond again. They won't sit unless told to. Every lesson ends with a prayer. They are instructing me on how things go around here... they do everything - carry the copy books to and fro, get me a chair if I need one... all without asking. They don't complain. It really is something to behold.

They are ecstatic when their teacher is absent and I can teach them - no substitute teachers here - so if the teacher is not here, they just sit quietly and do their work with no supervision. I saw one class doing this and they wanted me to come in... so I did a lesson on Canada and they were so eager to learn.
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>The facilities - well, I'll post the pics... the teacher's staff office is tiny, the bathroom? a hole in the ground. I am improving the "squat technique" :> and have learned to bring a roll of toilet paper wherever I go... \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Transportation here - I really must elaborate on this .... it really is something. If you are my parents ... stop reading :> - you are lucky to have a seatbelt and every car looks basically like it is an inch from falling apart - there are some nice ones, but I have yet to ride in one. A ride back from town in a Tuk Tuk - again , the Smart car with no windows... - is seriously like a ride at the Canadian Exhibition - I secretly love it, if you forget the thought you have rumbling around in your head that says... hmmm, what if we do indeed crash.... this is not going to be pretty. You bargain for price before you get in- I have been told the correct rates - not the tourist rates - and they are surprised that I know them. Anyway - I will not dare to drive anything here... you really need an extension to your driving skills.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Thanks for all your worried notes about my malaria status... I will look into the pills again... I am feeling so much better though that I am really dragging my heels on that. I am being VERY careful with covering up at night ... and spraying everything in sight, but yes, I'll look into an altenative pill or start taking the ones I have again.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>OK - I must head home and figure out how to wing lessons tomorrow... :> I know I am teaching an English lesson bright and early but everything else the headmaster told me he will tell me tomorrow. Nice eh?.... Oh, by the way... the kids correct my English if I make a spelling error on the board, they really are very bright.... so I have to be on my toes.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Big hugs all round,\u003c/div\>",1]
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The facilities - well, I'll post the pics... the teacher's staff office is tiny, the bathroom? a hole in the ground. I am improving the "squat technique" :> and have learned to bring a roll of toilet paper wherever I go...

Transportation here - I really must elaborate on this .... it really is something. If you are my parents ... stop reading :> - you are lucky to have a seatbelt and every car looks basically like it is an inch from falling apart - there are some nice ones, but I have yet to ride in one. A ride back from town in a Tuk Tuk - again , the Smart car with no windows... - is seriously like a ride at the Canadian Exhibition - I secretly love it, if you forget the thought you have rumbling around in your head that says... hmmm, what if we do indeed crash.... this is not going to be pretty. You bargain for price before you get in- I have been told the correct rates - not the tourist rates - and they are surprised that I know them. Anyway - I will not dare to drive anything here... you really need an extension to your driving skills.

Thanks for all your worried notes about my malaria status... I will look into the pills again... I am feeling so much better though that I am really dragging my heels on that. I am being VERY careful with covering up at night ... and spraying everything in sight, but yes, I'll look into an altenative pill or start taking the ones I have again.

OK - I must head home and figure out how to wing lessons tomorrow... :> I know I am teaching an English lesson bright and early but everything else the headmaster told me he will tell me tomorrow. Nice eh?.... Oh, by the way... the kids correct my English if I make a spelling error on the board, they really are very bright.... so I have to be on my toes.

Big hugs all round,
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Hi there,

Well I've added a ton of new pics on blog. They are mainly of Mombassa - so you are going to be think that I have only been on holiday here! I have a TON of pics of the school where I am working, but unfortunately my memory stick has decided to go on strike and so they are all on my personal computer right now and I can't transfer them to my flash. So.. rest assured I will get them posted.... and you will see what I have been doing - the REAL work :> To further the update ... I have now found out that grades 6-8 on top of being at school from 6:30am to 6:30pm go to school for a FULL day on Saturday! And the grade 8's come in on Sunday for a few hours. Talk about high education. I also found out that I am working at what is known as a private school, but when you see my pics you will see that it is not anything like independent schools at home....

Ok - I probably should head off - I will try to get the silly computer things ironed out so that you can see the pics of where your sponsorship dollars have really gone... it will blow your mind. I head home at the end of the day full of dust from head to toe ... did a Physical Education class with grade fours earlier on today and they basically taught me what to do... full of African songs and chants where you imitate the person in the middle. You can BE SURE they called on me to imitate - in Kswahili - all there actions and chants - MUCH to their delight as I wriggled my body and tried to sing the chant. They then played a racing game ie. who can get to the pair of shoes first... ALL in barefeet, on a rocky, dusty ground - they all took their shoes off for this - I'm telling ya.... so simple - they have nothing but two deflated soccer balls to play with.... I am bringing some of the ones I brought over tomorrow - they will be very happy. Then I taught a social studies class on forestry to the same kids.... yup, just went in the class, asked for their textbook, took a thirty second scan and went to it... hilarious, talk about flying by the seats of your pants... thankfully this is grade four. I tackle the math class tomorrow.... wish me luck, actualy I've taken a peek at it and I think I can handle it.

Ok - good evening y'all,
Jen