TRAVEL DIARY!!

The slums...

sarahcrystal — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:58:00 GMT

Hello...well first of all...again i cannot believe how bad i have been at keeping this journal. i really wanted to write everyday to keep a vivid memory of what i have done but we have been so busy i just haven't had the time or energy to write everyday. However...today I really want to record what we saw as i feel it was the most shocking day we have had thus far! Today we had the opportunity to visit the slums and the projects which are already in place. as we drove into the slums i thought i could have my first 'culture shock' ...however i didn't receive the shock i expected. The slums looked exactly how i imagined...like living on a land fill...but although i knew it would look like that i think the reason i didn't feel a shock was because i didn't really feel as though i was there. we were merely visitors...and although i was stood in the middle it felt like a dream world of emptiness. i think the real shock will hit when i arrive back home to my luxurys. we ate in the slums today which was a task i found fairly difficult...wondering how clean things were but it was a great first hand experience to eat amongst the locals and be part of their world for a short time.

we visited numerous medical clinics which all had the shock factor...back street alleys where babies are delivered...unclean instruments...it certainly brought it home how lucky we are in England.

However..w did visit more medical clinics than schools which was disappointing to say the least....until we visited the school in the slums. The school was poorly equipped, very little room, poorly built...but then there are the children. WOW!...these children are 1 - 10. The children at 1 1/2 years age can read and write and look after themselves adequately. The children who are 4 are already learning the parts of the flower and volume in maths....this is where my culture shock hit. The people in the slums have nothing...however their children are better equipped with life skills at an earlier age exceeding the knowledge of the children in england!!!!!!!! The children go to school from 7 - 4...a full day with children sneaking INTO school to join in...this has had a profound affect on my attitude towards teaching and i can safely say my teaching style will change dramatically...what a rewarding experience.the teacher also commented how between term time the children who are falling behind come into school for 'coaching' to help them along so they will be up with the rest of the children when they come back....this ..for the first time..showed me that although many of the schools out here have very little..perhaps they know a little bit more about progressing children's learning.

we also visited the masai school and this again was an effective and emotional experience. i cannot believe how similar their school system is to ours...it was almost the same..this was a real treat to see and the children enjoyed their schooling enormously!

looking back on my day i can see the effect it has had on both my attitude towards other cultures and my teaching..and i hope to implement this in my future teaching.

Day 5

sarahcrystal — Sat, 7 Aug 2010 02:49:00 GMT

Hello... Today has been a really good day! we started the day feeling really down and poorly... but we soldiered on and went to get breakfast, collected our lunch and got the bus to go to the LCC. we were hoping not to do much today because it was cold AGAIN..even tho it was so hot yesterday :o(. we were wrong anyway and was asked to cut up cabbages, spring onions and tomato's (into small small pieces) and then we had to sort out beans AGAIN! ...but it's quite therapeutic!! Rachel fell asleep with her eyes open whilst doing this and ended up going home to bed :o(!! ...then sam and i had to pack flour ...a very messy job!!! the children were helping which was nice and there was another volunteer there called Jasmin who we met yesterday but i can quite safely say she is the MOST annoying girl i have EVER met!!! - anything you can do i can do better syndrome!! at 1 o clock Eric picked us up and we went off to the market! what an experience!! we went to the supermarket and it was just like an American supermarket!! then we went to the masai market which was really good. There was loads of things that i wanted but i was sensible and only spent 800 shillings =) i bought some tiny animals and a mask to put on the wall which was a giraffes face! i love it =) after we had been there we headed down to the bar for some drinks and some food which was nice because all of the group was together. in the evening we all had a booze up at the other cottage and got to know one another better!

all in all we had a fab time!! xxxx

KENYA =)

sarahcrystal — Fri, 6 Aug 2010 01:36:00 GMT

Right...Finally getting round to recording my trip to Kenya..on day 3...but i think that reflects how hectic and amazing it was been so far!! Day one was really tiresome...after an 8 hour flight i finally arrived at Nairobi airport to be greated by the longest queue i have ever soon for a visa..so after a long wait i finally got through and retrieved my baggage easily. The wait also allowed me to calm down after the severe turbulance on the plane... cups falling off trays etc..!! ..i chatted to couple of older teachers in the queue which was nice aswell. Richard met me at the airport and with relief i made my way to the car...to be told i had to wait for another girl who hadnt arrived yet.

2 HOURS later we made our way to the car but i filled my time talkimg to a volunteer who was leaving called Fiona =)...now up for 24 hrs i was ready for bed.

Finally we arrived and i was shown to my room. i then met up with rachel and i was so relieved to see she was ok!!! "you coming then? we're off out"..was my next conversation...at this point i was so tired but there was no way i was going to sleep now...

we headed out on the bus with the other volunteers to see the projects we had as an option to work at... the LCC (Limuru Childrens Centre) the nest (the orphanage) a medical centre...the hope school, the half way house (baby house for baby's with mothers in prison). it was facinating to look around and have a first hand experience of kenyan culture and living.. it also gave me the chance to meet everybody properly...

there are lots of people here...

Tash - lesbian, northen, stripper - ha but so so lovely and a real live wire =) shes so funny and we're got on so so well :o)

Rachel who i already know :o)

Jenny - Canadian, really cute snuffly lisp, really frindly and quirky!! shes lovely and is in my cottage... i need to get to know her better but i really like her :o)

Santina - Canadian, really animated and funny =) ..in my cottage

Alysa - lesbian, very cuddly and sweet :o) really open personality and very easy to get on with

Joelle - the girl i met at the airport, she's german and she is nice enough but really ahrd to get to know and seems quite strange and very different to many of the girls here.

Alitha- from Vagina..shes lovely and very subdued ...seems very wise and non- judgemental!!

Sam - heleriously funny, very outgoing and very kind gentle giant =)

Lucy - sams sister...very girly, petite and looks very innocent but has a very quirky personality

3 older women i havent really got to know from Toronto...

2 polish older ladies in our cottage ..again that i dn't really know wll because of th age difference

Ing and Rose - from the netherlands...very nice and easy to talk to but need to get to know them better

Leanne from UK who is lovely teaching assistanmt but leaves tomorrow...

Ryan - a south african from johannesberg but seems very up himself and arrogant but time will tell...

probably more but it seems like there are new faces all the time..

the staff here are great! eric is a real character and the chefs and cleaners are really friendly!!!

also on the first day whilst travelling back from the projects we were attacked by a giant gate on th van and thought we had ran somebody over...what an experience!!! lol ..it meant we had to stop on banana hill which is really dangerous and it was really freaky =/ lol

the second day we went to the nest and had the opportunity to see a lesson taught...i helped a young boy with his maths and he was so eager to learn...and picked things up very fast which was extremely rewarding!

we went there again yesterday and rachel and i took the primary class and played games and sang songs! they were so rhythmical!!! it was fantastic..they taught us songs called balance the ball and i want i want!

i have caught up loads now so i shall leave the rest of my story for tomorrow..

but food is great...weather is now great after a cold start and the people are great =)

bye for now xxx