life here

life is so different here in africa. different from normal. different from what i expected. first off, if you're picturing nairobi like the typical africa scene with the flat lnds and random trees and grass huts(much like my profile pic) then you are waaaaay off. it is green, lush, foresty, with palm trees and the most amazing bushes and trees covered in flowers. its so gorgeous.
and no, i don't live in some run down shack. i'm incredibly blessed to be living where i am. i mean, all the host families are wonderful people with decent accomadations...but some are so tiny and cramped and no hot water for showers. i happen to live with the program director, irene and 5 other roomates (3 gals from mexico, one from toronto and one from cali) in an apartment that would be considered nice by canadian standards. it's amazing.
my days start off at about 7am. i get up do morning devos then hang out with my roomies. have some breakfast- usually fruit, tea, maybe bread or some little donuty sort of things that i forget what they're called. then me and elyse and majo walk to the java hut (africa's equivalent to starbucks - pretty much the mzungu (white people) hangout) to meet up with a few other volunteers and we all start our trek to kibera. it takes about 45 minutes to walk there.
apparently school starts at 7:30 but we come at 9. today i felt much more useful at school which was great. i helped 4 kids - prolly 6 or 7 years old - who were a little behind so couldn't be in the other class. i wasn't really prepared for that so i didn't know what to teach them (there is no syllabus or anything. the volunteers just fly by the seat of their pants and teach them whatever). we learned about shapes today. and the colors of chickens. and some math - basic addition by counting bottle caps. yes, this is reeeally behind where kids should be at this age. some of them can't even write their own name. they are so basic. technically its not a school i work at - its a day centre, trying to prepare kids before they actually go to school. anyways, break is at 10. we go outside to play in the dirt and trash. i brought a soccer ball today (thanks carly!) and the boys went crazy. unfortunately they don't really have anywhere to play except on this hill surrounded by barbed wire that is used by some building next door. but they played and loved it. i had kids hanging aaaall over me today. they all want to hold my hands, or pet my tattoo. i got pulled down to the ground and surrounded by about 20 girls stroking (aka pulling) my hair and chanting something that was either swahili or 'washing your hair'. i couldn't really tell. the kids don't speak much english. another of their favorite things is to count all the freckles on my arms. over and over they count. or look at their reflections in my sunglasses. these kids are amused by the simplest things...
after break (which is also bathroom time...except we don't have bathrooms, so the kids just do their business right there, where they play) we go back in for more teaching. teaching is sooo hard with so many kids crammed in there and so few teachers and so little space. we could definitely use more help there. so if anyone wants to come...? school is done at 12:30. after that i usually go to an internet cafe and java hut with some other volunteers. and we run in to more volunteers aaall over the place or keep in touch with our cell phones which is really great (seriously, if anyone is thinking about doing something like this, i would highly recommend this program). we hang out for the afternoon and make sure we home before dark (6:30). evenings i stay in with my roomates and relax. we're usually in bed by 10. so that's what my days have been like. but i'm hoping they'll change soon. i'm looking to go work somewhere else for the afternoon. there are so many different places that have volunteers/need volunteers so it shouldnt be hard to hook that up.
wow, this is getting long. like i said, i could go on forever about this place...
tomorrow is a holiday so me and 7 other volunteers are heading to the coast for the weekend. should be great.
so that's a general idea about what life has been like my first few days here. but if you really wanna know, you should just come here. have i mentioned that everyone should just come here? in fact, if i could just get all my friends and family and aaron to move here, then that would be perfect. keep that in mind all you reading this..
prayers for: oh wow, everything. all the work going on here. my school desperately needs a new piece of land. there are lots of kids here in need of sponsorship just so they can go to school. we need more volunteers. i'm working with volunteers from all over the world and have been able to share my story with some of them so god is definitely working in those situations as well.
anyways, i gotta get going. have an awesome weekend everyone. much love.