As I think back to orientation, I think about everything that I learned and how none of the “bad” things would happen to me, but I was completely wrong! I thought that none of the things that the YAVAs talked about would ever happen to me, but I have been proven wrong! I never thought that I would be one of those people that got super homesick, since I have been all over the place since high school and I hardly saw my parents in college anyhow. But that mindset of never getting homesick person all changed. I now felt the sadness that homesickness can bring and I never felt more alone than ever. I found myself shying away from the Kenya group and not being myself. After a talk with my site coordinator, I began to become myself again and open up to the group more. I was able to show my weaknesses and get help from my fellow friends.
In the midst of all of this homesickness and not being myself about a month ago I found out that my grandmother passed away after battling emphysema for a long time. Her death was not a surprise but it still hurt a lot. I was so mad at myself that I didn’t call her before she passed. I was so sad that I didn’t have my family to support me because I was in Kenya and they were in the US. But I did have a family that was there to support me; I had my Kenya family right beside me. They were there for me right when I got the news. I thank them so much for being there for me and still being there for me. I know that my grandmother is in a better place now and I know she wants me to be here in Kenya right now.
I have been “on my own” for about a week and a half now and my homesickness is slowly growing smaller and smaller. I am now working at the Nairobi International Lutheran Church with their nursery school and youth group. The nursery school is like a head start program for children ages 4-6 I believe. They have 3 classes in order from youngest to oldest: a baby class, a nursery class, and a pre-unit class. My first week, which was last week, I worked with the pre-unit class, which is the oldest class and who can also speak pretty good English. I really liked working with the pre-unit class and I even learned all 13 names within the first couple days!
This week I worked with the baby and nursery class (they are combined in one class, but has 2 teachers in the classroom) and were they a handful! Since they are the youngest in the school they have so much energy and it definitely showed! I had more difficulty with this class because well they don’t speak a lot of English and even though I know kidogo (a little) Kiswahili, I was still not able to fully communicate with the children. Most of the time when they would come up to me and ask me something I would just nod and smile acting like I understood them! They would usually just run away laughing.
One of their favorite games to play was to come up to me and touch my hand and run away laughing. So I would indulge them and try to scare them and of course this would get them all going and soon I would have about 20 kids hanging on me trying to touch my hand! After all of this excitement I would be pretty tired and I could not wait to be able to leave after lunch!
I am thankful that this week because of a holiday on Thursday and mid term holiday on Friday, it was a very short week with the young ones in the school. I think that I will be spending a lot more time with the pre-unit students in order for me to be alive after this year!
I have loved my experience so far and can’t wait to start my other half of my job at the church with the youth group. The first youth group meeting will be on November 6th! I am still prepping for it, but I am super excited!
Here is some more exciting news! Since my work with the nursery school ends around 1pm everyday I have been awfully bored after getting off of work that I asked my site coordinator if it would be possible for me to do something else in the afternoon. She then told me that I could possibly help out at Across, where I was going to be placed before the church. I was very excited about the possibility. After talking with Across on Tuesday I was welcomed with open arms to come and work in the afternoons at their office in Karen! I will be meeting with them on Friday to find out what I will be doing throughout the year!
Starting Monday I will be working with the nursery school in the morning and then taking a couple matatus to Karen where I will be working at Across in the afternoons! Working with Across will definitely solve my boredomness in the afternoons!
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