Friday, June 18th -- Don't say NO

Today I went to 7:15 am mass and then made French Toast for breakfast! It was a bit of a trial and error process, even making something so basic, because the old fashioned stove is either a giant flame or nothing at all. In the end, I added some cinnamon and it hit the spot :)

At school, Julia, Sister Mary, and I restructured the kitchen. We moved tables and cabinets while also creating a barrier out of a wooden plank and two wooden chairs. The kitchen will be more efficient now, and the barrier will help facilitate the organization when meals are distributed. The children will now line up alongside the barrier rather than all rushing up to be served at once. We put our minds together to be creative out of the resources we had.

Hygiene is a problem throughout Kenya and Africa. Many of the children share plates and cups and do not see the need for using any utensils. They share because they either lost the one they were given or they bring it home when they go home for holiday. It is too costly to keep distributed new ones because then some people will take advantage of the system. Julia and I made a rotating system where the students from 6th-12th grade will take turns washing and drying dishes and cups. Rather than have the children be responsible for their own and taking them back to their bed room, they will now all be stored in the kitchen. This will create some organization, allow them to share their chores together, and enable better hygiene because everything will be cleaned.

Today, Mary went to the hospital for what we thought was labor! She’s 16 and is 8 months pregnant. She was going to be at the hospital alone which is not as uncommon here as it is in the US. When I found this out, Julia and I instinctively volunteered to meet her at the hospital to be there with her while she was going through labor. In Kenyan, you are allowed to be with the mother throughout when she is having contractions, but only the doctors are allowed in the room for the actual birth of the baby. I put myself in her position, and I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be to go through that alone at any age. Just as we were about to leave, we received a phone call at the school that it was a false alarm! Later on when I was recalling the events of the day, I surprised myself at how I was less hesitant in the situation than I thought I would be. Since I’ve been here, I have been trying to accept every task as something that needs to be done without being too shocked about it. I've also been trying to embrace everything without saying "no" to any opportunity.

After school, I came back and read parts of “Lonely Planet’s Kenya” book from the small library on the compound. I learned that almost everyone is Kisumu has a last name that ends in “O” including Obama! For dinner, we had chappati which is a really delicious rolled up pita. I also had some avocado among other things. Following dinner, we went to Compline which has become a really nice way to end each day. Before going to bed, I quickly called Christine to talk with her on the phone for the first time since I’ve been gone!