Gee, but it's great to be back home...

I was sad to leave Korr and Kenya. I miss the big skies and sunrises/sets and greeting people as I walk about town. I am sad that I couldn't complete the Kenyan school year and see Form 4s to their national exams. But I am enjoying being back home.



I thought that I would stop posting on this blog once I returned to the UK. After all, I'm no longer 'Miss Jackson in Kenya' and life here doesn't seem quite as interesting as life in Korr. 

However, a few friends have encouraged me to continue blogging. I suppose I can get round the title of the blog because a part of me is still in Kenya! And the adventure isn't over; the readjustment, I am sure, will be just as eventful as many times over the last year.  

For example, I have to share with you the excitement that was one of my birthday presents from my brother (in case you haven't heard already). I got a signed photo from one of my favourite people: Julie Andrews! (Julie's sister-in-law works at Jonathan's school and he put in a special request. I am so chuffed!)



"For Hannah, with love from Julie Andrews"

It is strange being back. In some ways it seems completely normal. So quickly I adjust to being back in my house, driving my car, going to the supermarket and putting out the bins.

Being back is also quite a novelty; discovering clothes and belongings I had forgotten, catching up with people I haven't seen in over a year, discovering changes in the city, enjoying the beautiful British countryside and appreciating modern conveniences, clean feet, ice cream and fresh fruit. I am even looking forward to the start of the new academic year; welcoming the new Year 7s, seeing old students and getting back into the school routine (not sure how long I will stay excited about that!)

I found a book devoted to the subject of returning from mission trips and I am led to believe that the next few months may be rather challenging as I go through what's called 'reverse culture shock' once the novelty wears off! And things are not the same here. There have been changes both at my school and my church. And I am not the same as I was.

Yet I am comforted by the fact that God does not change. Psalm 90 declares: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. And in James: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

I change, people change and situations change, but God is a constant: great, good, loving, all powerful, forgiving, provider, holy, merciful, compassionate, gracious, patient, perfect, trustworthy.....(I could go on!)

Nairobi - next stop home

Nairobi - population 3 million. It means 'cold wet place' and it lives up to its name. As I write it is tipping it down with rain and it is cooold!

Nairobi is big, busy, noisy, dirty and cold! There is great poverty, crime, pollution and congestion. Personal safety is a big issue as pick pocketing and mugging and road accidents are real dangers. But it is an interesting place of contrasts and culture, new developments and promise.

There is mains electricity, faster internet, piped water, hot showers, mobile phone reception, coffee shops, cinemas, buses, tarmac and chocolate. I've stayed at a guesthouse full of missionaries and visitors who are coming and going and passing through.

I've had a good few days preparing to return (including sorting a new mobile and broadband at home), doing packing and shopping, saying goodbyes, and doing some evaluation/debrief stuff.

So, I have had my hair cut, travelled on matatus (crazy 14-seater minibuses with music blaring out), met up with folks for coffee, had photos developed, taken a new short termer grocery shopping, been to a colleagues church and home, packed my backs again.

I am looking forward to returning home but I will be sad to leave here. I have appreciated being immersed in a culture and environment so different from what I am used to; every day I feel like I am walking in a geography text book. In many ways daily life has not been that different. I teach, read, cook, hang out with friends, go to church. But I have enjoyed the simple living, amazing sunsets, starry skies, smiling children who want to play, people with big hearts, and seeing how God is working in the church and wider community.

It hasn't always been easy but I’ve enjoyed teaching here and being able to weave the good news of Jesus into ordinary classes and conversations with students. It has been a real privilege to be a small part of the mission work in Korr and get a taste for international and cross-cultural missions by supporting the long-term gospel work.

Being away from everything that is familiar, missing friends and family (including the arrival of nephew Sebastian), contending with language and cultural differences, and living communally, all have enabled me to learn more about God and about me. I feel God has done far more in me this year than through me as he teaches me to trust him.

After an overnight flight I get back to the UK early on 16^th August. It’ll then be a hectic two weeks moving back into my house, a family holiday and preparing for the start of the new academic year.

I am so grateful that I can return to my job as Geography teacher and Head of Year at LCHS. Once again I will be looking after the new Year 7 students. I’ll have a different office, different classroom and different team but I am really looking forward to returning to a familiar role and I am excited to return to re-join colleagues and students. I am mindful that gospel work is not limited to special missionaries or far-flung places and I pray that God will use me there for his purposes.

People here ask me when I will be back in Kenya. Well as yet I have no plans but I don’t think this will be the last I see of Africa and I await the Lord’s guidance for the future!

Tea

I got to spend part of my last day with Esther and Robert Wanga. Robert Wanga teaches at Tirrim Secondary School. I call him Wanga and the students call him Mr Wanga. Wanga invited me to spend some time with his family in Nairobi before I left and treated me to some of his cooking. We ate delicious fresh fish!

In the morning Esther drove me out to Limuru, a tea-growing area not far from Nairobi. I have wanted to see tea plantations (sad Geography teacher!) and I appreciated visiting the area with a Kenyan who knew how to get around and we happily chatted about Kenyan culture, development issues and living as Christians.

Limuru is one of the places where tea was first grown in Kenya. The tea bushes are established and grow well in the warm and wet climate and fertile red soil. Tea is one of Kenya's top exports, a key source of foreign exchange and a big employer.

We tried to visit the Unilever Mabroukie tea factory, where the picked tea leaves are processed, but they didn't fall for our sweet talking and wouldn't let us in!

Meet...the Junior Swanepoels

Grant, Abby, Caity, Loki, Owen and Miles

Here is a very special family. They live in Kurungu which is a 2-3 hour drive from Korr among people of the Samburu tribe.

I stayed with them several times in the last year, including the Christmas holidays. I greatly appreciated their warm welcome, discussions about missionary life, learning words in Africaans and playing with the children.

Grant teaches local men how to understand and teach the Bible. Lots of church leaders in Kenya lack a depth of knowledge about who God is and about the Bible. For many of these men, formal university training is not appropriate. Grant at the Kurungu Bible Training Centre aims to teach them the Bible so that they grow in their own faith, can teach the others and lead their congregations. 

He is also seeking to train other Bible teachers in the in order that they may teach others...ie set up more local Bible training Centres in northern Kenya.

Check out their Nomad's Pulpit Facebook page for details and news of their work as well as some of Grant's wonderful photography.

Meet...Pastor David

 



David Gargule is one of the pastors at AIC Korr. We call him Pastor David. Pastor David is one of the people we go to in order to understand local culture and how we should respond to it and fit in; his support in this is invaluable. We often discuss issues of cross-cultural mission and the way in which cultures are different yet God and the Bible are universal.
 
Pastor lives with his wife, Alice, and their five children, not far from us. The children are regular visitors to our house and they often bring eggs from their chickens for us to buy.

Pastor David has a real desire to share his Christian faith with his fellow Rendille people. Recently he was involved with an outreach to a local town to plant a church where there has previously not been one. The Korr church is currently supporting this fledgling congregation, especially until January when a pastor is arriving. And in June David was one of the Korr pastors that hosted a conference of over 100 church leaders from northern Kenya which, amongst other things, distributed solar MP3 players pre-recorded with the story of Jesus in local languages and explored the use of them. 

He recently visited South Korea, his first time out of Kenya, to make links with some churches there. And on returning to Kenya stayed in Nairobi for classes for his masters degree. Sadly I our paths didn't cross and I didn't get to see him in Nairobi.  
 

When are you getting married?

At school on my birthday a visitor sung 'Happy Birthday' to me, including the customary Kenyan 'How Old Are You Now?' verse. Then followed a 'When Are You Getting Married?' verse! Me and my wazungu friends joked about this...was it a proposal?! You wouldn't make comments of this nature back home, certainly not in a whole school assembly.

Questions as to marital status are as common as the other important questions about whether I have brothers and sisters. (It is important to establish where in the birth order I come as to be first-born is of great significance). But it took some time to adjust to the somewhat personal questions.

The reply of 'I just haven't met him (ie my husband) yet' doesn't quite make sense to many people here as they then proceed to offer their brother or cousin or one of the students in Form 4!

Amusing conversations about the bride price follow: whether my dad would keep the eight camels or convert them to cash, how we get camels to UK, whether they would survive in mum and dad's garden.

Many boys say that they want to marry a wazungu (white person) especially when they discover that wazungus don't require a bride price!! But interesting conversations follow when I point out that this means that their wife wouldn't be one of their possessions! And that a wazungu wife would not be happy with her husband sitting under a tree talking all day while she gets water, wood, cooks, washes clothes, milks the goats....culture greatly determines expectations about relationships in marriage.

Getting married is almost automatic here and there are strong traditions surrounding finding a match and the ensuing celebrations. Marriage is important for community structure and having lots of children is also crucial. There are no single/childless women in Korr; those without children of their own are 'given' children by family members. Arranged marriages are normal in traditional Rendille communities and brides can be very very young. Even amongst more educated Rendille, who might chose their spouse, women marry and start having babies young. Me and my housemates don't quite fit in with the local community because, despite being old enough, none of us are 'mamas'. They see it strange that we don't have definite plans for marrying.

UK culture has a whole different set of expectations and traditions regarding whether, when and who people marry. And not all of them are good. I think it is good the way that marriage and parenthood are held in high regard in Korr.  In the same way, not all Rendille customs are good. When there are conflicting cultural views about something like this it can be difficult to work out what is best and so it is even more important that we base our thinking on the Bible. 

At Tirrim Secondary School, Form 4 students have two 'Bible' lessons a week and they are working through a series of studies to discover what God's design for marriage is and to get a Biblical perspective on relationships that honour God and each other. The students love these lessons (and I enjoy overhearing them from my office next door) and often chat to me after class about how they can apply what they learn to their lives. So far they have looked at how God established the practice of marriage been man and woman from the beginning and how he promotes its significance throughout the rest of the Bible. They looked what sort of spouse they would like and are now going through 1 Corinthians 13 - what love looks like and how this would work in their marriages.

However, the Bible also makes it clear that both being married and not being married are valid. The identity of those who follow Christ is in the fact that they are children of God, not based on their marital status. I am not saved by being married or by having children, although these are good and the path for the majority. I am saved, and my life given purpose, by Jesus.

Inevitably, me and my housemates discuss these issues a fair amount. We describe our 'ideal husband'; the ability to grow a beard, nice handwriting and good teeth are amongst the 'requirements' that my housemates suggest (none of these are mine by the way). However, spending this time in Kenya and being open to the possibility of returning to Africa longer term influences our thoughts regarding what makes for a good husband. New on our 'lists' is an interest in missions, the ability to fix a car and willingness to kill snakes - things that are far more important than my dreams of a 'Northern Irish rock climbing doctor'! Seriously though, I hold my 'list' quite lightly. The only things I will be picky on is his devotion to the Lord, and his preparedness to take me on with all my peculiarities.

I don't think that I am single necessarily because I am too picky. Or because I 'haven't met the right one yet'. I think that it is because God wants me single at the moment and for His good purposes. He knows what he is doing. There are loads of advantages of being not being married that I need to remind myself of. And there are many ways that I can serve God that would be harder if I was married.

So, when am I getting married? I don't know. But God knows the ifs and whens. I know that if I am to get married I want it to be to someone who will help me live my life for the Lord. So I trust my unknown future to Him, who has been faithful in my life so far and will continue to be.

Church under a tree

I visited Rongumo village this afternoon. It is kind of ‘my’ village since I was given a Rendille name by a lady from there (Konkomo – it means ‘short’!)

 

I spent some time with the local Rongumo church. This was very different from a church back home or even in Korr town. Worshippers met under a tree and sat on the dusty ground. There were no song books or PA system or translation. And it was very windy.

 

But they sang and shared testimony and listened to a story of one of Jesus’ miracles being read from a much-read copy of the book of John in Rendille language and heard a short talk afterwards. I was reminded that of course, they were worshipping the very same God that people all over the world worship. A creator God, who loves all people all over the world so much that his heart breaks when they do their own thing. Father God who sent his son Jesus to win his people back. God who longs for people to come to him and get to know him.

Church under a tree

I was also struck at how, in many ways, this church was unlikely. Almost in the middle of nowhere and remote from regular communications and media and the outside world. Surrounded by peoples who follow traditional African religions. Where not everyone goes to school and many are illiterate. Where until recently the local language was not written down. Where there isn’t a complete translation of the Bible in the local language.

God wants all people to hear the message about his love for them and to accept Jesus as their saviour. But how do people in remote northern Kenya get to know this message? The book of Romans speaks of the problem and solution:

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news! (Romans 10:14-15)

 

 Lots of clapping and singing songs to and about God in local Rendille language

 

The Tirrim Project in Korr does many things, some of which are similar to many community development projects all over Kenya. But as well as offering practical assistance to the Rendille people (eg schools and adult education, feeding programmes, vetinary assistance, clean water) it also brings this message. Sometimes this occurs at the same time as the practical help but also separately.

The good news is being translated into Rendille language, and the New Testament books of the Bible are almost complete. Adults in remote villages are being taught basic literacy so that they can not only read the labels on medicines and write to family members, but also read the Bible and learn more about who God is and what he does. 

 

The Bible reading from the Rendille translation of the book of John

 

This is being done partly by people from outside Korr, like Lynne and Nick who set up the Tirrim Project. But excitingly, it is also being done by local people. The church meeting this afternoon had no ‘outside’ help. It was led entirely by local people in a style fitting their culture. It was a privilege to join with them, even if I didn’t know what was being said, as I was able to see how the good news of Jesus is being spread by his messengers so that people can call on his name and be saved.

Praise the Lord!



My irteeyo and rimrimo

Earlier this week Mama Jane presented me with my own set of Rendille beads, called irteeyo. Such a generous gift from this big-hearted lady.

 

Then I visited Goratee who has been making a head dress, or rimrimo, for me. I have been going to her a few times a week for the last few weeks in order to have my head measured and check it fits. I learned that either I have a big head and/or Rendille women have incredibly small heads as my rimrimo could go over the top of theirs with lots of space! Finally I got word that it was finished and picked it up.

Outside Mama Jane's (newly extended) min - both wearing out irteeyos

 

 With Mama Jane, her grandson Giddy, and Seku and Ntala (two girls who live with her)

 

 Goratee putting the finishing touches on my rimrimo

 

My outfit is almost complete

 

 



Meet...Obeyle and his sheep

 



Slaughter at sunset

Obeyle is one of the night guards at Nick and Lynne's. I first got to know him in September last year when I lived in their compound. He and the other workers were the first local people I met and my first informal language teachers, patiently repeating phrases and greetings. I've moved house but Obeyle still works his alternate fortnights nights at Nick and Lynne's. He lives near to our house and I often see him passing by. He is a very gentle man and as is customary, always stops to greet us. One of his sons, Joseph, is in Form 4 at Tirrim Secondary and Christina teaches one of his daughters, Christine, in Standard 7.

A few weeks ago he was keen to get some additional income and persuaded us to buy one of his sheep. We waited until a weekend and invited some of the secondary teachers round to help us eat it.

Obeyle arrived with the sheep, which was pretty big, and slaughtered it outside. Killing doesn't take too long, but it takes some time and skill to skin and cut it up. Whilst I might be able to manage chicken and rabbits, the sheep requires an expert!

Preparing the food was a communal affair. Just like in the UK, it was the men who roasted the meat outside over a fire; teacher Abednego and our guard Eysimbasele were in charge of this. Misha made chapattis with Mary (see below), Sarah made ugali (we learned that this requires a lot of strength to stir the pot) and I made stew with the meat that wasn't roasted. Oh my, there was so much food!

 

We had fun cooking and eating together with our guests, listening to an interesting mix of music and playing some traditional African games.

I'm glad I brought....

1) Perfume. This was a last minute purchase at Heathrow. I had a small amount of an old bottle left and hadn't thought to buy another one. I'm glad I brought it as it is nice to smell good. And I couldn't find this one in the perfume shop in Nairobi.

2) My flask. This way I can take my own sugar-free tea or coffee to school.

3) A hoodie. For most of the time it has been hot here. But when I arrived in Nairobi last August it was cooler than where I had come from in the south of France. And at the moment it is positively chilly in the mornings, especially with the wind. I am sure it is warmer in the UK! 

Meet...Ruth and Joy

Ruth and Joy with Teacher Sarah

Ruth and Joy Choi are our Korean neighbours. Over the last six months they have spent a few hours each week at our house doing school. Their mum, Jisun, teaches them at home and is grateful of help. The girls also enjoy a change of classroom and teacher. In the picture above, Sarah had been teaching English.

One day I read with Ruth about celebrations in different countries (in a Geography lesson) and we decided to try and make a papier mache piñata. We researched how to make paste from flour and water and ripped up scrap paper. It turned out that neither Ruth nor Joy really liked getting messy so it actually ended up being me who covered balloons first with Vaseline and then with layers of paper dipped in our homemade paste. I had fun! The climate in Korr is great for making papier mache as the layers dry so quickly in the hot dry conditions; no need for the airing cupboard and no danger of the flour paste going mouldy!

Ruth and Joy's parents, Inho and Jisun, work with Korean Food for the Hungry International and run a child sponsorship scheme in Korr that supports over 400 children through their primary and secondary education. They run a Saturday youth club programme and Jisun has set up a choir.

They have invited us round for wonderful Korean cooking and also lead our singing when we meet on Sunday evenings.

Amongst other things, Inho also preaches to local people about Jesus being the only way to God and heaven. He shares his personal story, having grown up in a traditional Korean family where ancestor worship was widely practiced. He and his mother were thrown out of the family home when they came to know Jesus and refused to participate in the traditional practices. Later the rest of his family came to follow Jesus, but his story resonates with all of us, including the local Rendille people, for whom being Christians will result in changed lives and possible rejection.

In the last six months Inho and Jisun have hosted two teams from Korea. The first was a church group who visited Korr villages to tell people about Jesus using music, drama and the Rendille-translated Jesus video. The second team last month consisted of doctors and dentists from Korea who ran clinics in Korr and the villages.

Inho, Jisun, Ruth, Joy and their older brother David (who attends boarding school at RVA in Kenya), are now in South Korea for the RVA school holidays. For the first part of their visit they are joined by two Korr church pastors, one of the Bible translators and one of Inho's workers whose tickets have been paid for by a Korean church in order to develop links between churches in Korr and Korea.

Meet...the Holmertz family

PJ Holmertz is the AIM short-term missions coordinator for Kenya and Tanzania. Based in Nairobi, PJ and his wife Emily make practical arrangements, welcome, host and orientate short termers like me. Their aim is helping short-term placements have a long term impact, on the local church, on long term missionaries and in the short termers themselves as they get to know Jesus more and make him known.

Aiden, PJ, Emily and Sarah

For us in remote northern Kenya, PJ is the guy we email when we have difficulties and questions or 'need' more nutella or some new films. His USB stick has flown up here several times loaded with new things to watch, our favourite being all three series of Downton Abbey! Seriously though, I have been tremendously blessed by the hospitality, support and love this family have given to me, especially when I first arrived and on breaks in Nairobi.

 

Originally from the USA, the Holmertz family have been in Kenya for two  years. But this week they head back to the US for a five month home assignment so I won't see them again before I leave. You can join with me praying for them that they enjoy their time back home, have safe travels, get to see everyone, and that they are able to recharge spiritually and physically before returning to Nairobi in 2014.

 

Safari njema!

 

 

How to ...skin a rabbit

‘Skin-a-rabbit’ was a phrase that our parents said when we were small as they as they pulled our t-shirts or vests off over our heads to undress us. I have taken saying the same thing to small people in my charge. But never really thought where the phrase came from and what it had to do with undressing!

In my last week at LCHS before coming to Kenya (ie this time last year) I was given two rabbits by a Year 7 student. Dead ones that his uncle had shot. He’d remembered a conversation from months before and brought them as an end of year gift. A gift like no other and certainly one that I remember!

After keeping them in the office fridge for the day I took them home for the pot. I’d cooked and eaten rabbit before, but always from the butcher. It was a bit strange to be skinning and chopping up wild rabbits in my back yard only a metre or so from the pet rabbit in his hutch next door and I think Fluffy suspected something was up judging from his thumping. I discovered that it is not very difficult to skin a rabbit. Once the fur is cut around the hind legs I was able to peel it off and over the head! This is clearly where the childhood phrase ‘skin a rabbit’ came from.

There are lots of rabbits around Korr but interestingly local people don’t eat them despite there being a shortage of food and much poverty and hunger. I discovered, however, that kids catch rabbits for fun, sometimes to feed their dogs. When students were squabbling over a shortage of mugs a few weeks ago I took empty jam jars and offered them as payment for freshly caught rabbits. A small team of Form 4 boys rose to the challenge, excited at the opportunity to leave the school site and do something a bit different. They had some fun chasing and competing to be the one to throw the fatal stone. Then they proudly delivered them to our house in time for dinner.

Under the disapproving watch of Eysimbasele our night guard (who later turned down a bowl of rabbit stew in favour of plain rice) Misha and I skinned, gutted and jointed the rabbits on the back porch. Misha also removed the eyes for a Biology practical the following week. Sadly the meat was tough as I didn’t let it cook for long enough. But it was no chewier than the chickens we killed, plucked and cooked the following week for 4^th July celebrations.

Eating real, fresh meat is no easy task! Normally we eat meals that use canned meat/fish or dried beans brought from supermarkets downcountry. I look forward to being able to pop to Tesco for ready-to-cook chicken, minced beef or bacon. But I might still try and secure a supplier of Lincolnshire rabbit!

Meet...the TSS girls

Girls are in the minority at Tirrim Secondary School; there are 88 boys and only 14 girls. Last year there were even fewer girls, but now but there are six girls in the new Form 1 which has boosted numbers slightly and raised the profile of the girls in school.

The girls have worked hard to get here. For example, they have to do well in primary school exams to get a place in secondary school, which is not compulsory. Even at Tirrim they have to pay a small registration fee and buy uniform so there is a financial cost. And they have to work against traditional culture which doesn't value the education of women very highly especially when many girls marry early or are out looking after animals. 

Things are slowly changing, and the female students at Tirrim, many of whom are the first in their family to ever go to school, have expectations of training and education beyond secondary level. We have some feisty young ladies who know their minds and don't mind sharing their ideas! They are all especially keen to get good jobs in order to support their siblings and parents.

Here are some of the girls who came round to our house for chai after church one Sunday.




Camping in skirts

Lots of people ask what life in Korr is like. This post is for them.

So I wake, I shower, I get dressed, I have breakfast, I walk to school, I teach some lessons, I walk home, I cook tea, I email/read/watch a DVD, I go to bed!! Similar to back home.

What's different? I heard it recently described as 'camping in skirts'. Many aspects are like camping...always having a torch handy, dirty feet, walking outside to the toilet, bugs, camp food, limited electricity and water...but accordance with local customs we wear skirts. Here are a few more details (in no particular order).

• The choo (toilet) is outside the back door. It doesn't flush (it's a long drop latrine). The shower is next door and fed by water from a borehole. We are careful not to waste water and don't leave the shower running for long. It is not heated so morning showers are cold, although by evening water the tank has been in the hot sun for hours and so water can be quite warm.  
• We don't have a fridge and you can only buy certain foods in the dukas (small shops) in town so we eat a lot of dried and tinned food. We have a counter-top double burner hob with a gas bottle, and a safari oven that goes on top of the hob. We bake our own bread and getting meat like chicken is different (I killed and plucked a chicken last week for the first time).

• Ngurunit, a local lady, comes twice a week to do some cleaning and do laundry (we don't have a washing machine).
• I share a house which is new for me but it is going really well. We see God's hand in how he has selected us to live and work together. Their arrival in January was a real encouragement to me. I share a room with Misha. We used to sleep under mosquito nets but there are fewer bugs at the moment.
• Sunrise and sunset are at the same time every day (around 7am/pm) and the transition from light to dark is really quick. At the moment I am missing the long days! There are no street lights and it is really dark so we have to take torches if we are going to stay out, to light our way and also highlight snakes/scorpions/spiders/hyenas. But the night skies are amazing with loads of bright twinkling stars and when the moon is full you can manage without a torch.
• We get free lunch and chai at school, brought to us by someone from the kitchen. Lunch is either rice and beans or maize and beans with occasional vegetables. Not very exciting or particularly tasty but filling.
• The school day starts at 6am for students who have an hour of independent study before school. Staff prayer  meeting is at 7am. Most students are boarders. There are ten lessons, 40 minutes long. Most classes are over by 4pm after which there are sports or clubs on a Wednesday. There are lessons on Saturday mornings.
• The walk to school often takes longer than it should because it is customary to greet everyone you pass and stop to talk to people you know. Children call out 'mzungu' and come over to shake hands, ask for sweets and practise their English.
• It is hot all the year. Even though June, July and August is the cooler time of year it is still around 30 degrees much of the time. We must be careful to keep drinking water and include extra salt in food to avoid dehydration.
• The windows of our house don't have glass or curtains, just safety bars and shutters. We don't shut the shutters as we welcome the light and movement of air but recently it has been very windy at night and I have been making full use of a blanket as well as a sheet.

 

 

The Korr Four...plus a few more

Christina, Sarah, Misha and me gained the name 'The Korr Four'. However, this name has been a bit off recently as we have been joined in Korr by other volunteers from America. First came Dave, who was here in May and June working with building projects. He stayed in a Rendille guesthouse in Korr but spent time at our house. Then we also have (another) Sarah and Alyssa working in a Tirrim Infant School until the start of August. Here are a few pictures.

Sarah One, Misha, Alyssa, Dave, me, Christina, Sarah Two

Just the gals, with the view from our front porch

Wedding in Naagan

Daniel, a primary school teacher, got married yesterday. As I didn't have normal school a few of us got a lift out to Naagan, his bride Deborah’s village, to see the first part of the celebrations.

 

Traditional village weddings begin early in the morning so we arrived before sunrise. Villagers were not up yet and all was quiet save for a few remaining goats and donkeys (most of the goats  and all of the camels have been taken far away to find land for grazing). We wore our new dresses but were rather cold.

 

We got to watch the sunrise as I sipped coffee from my trusty flask.

 

 

As the sun came up, people began to emerge from their homes. These children were intrigued to find a bunch of white people so far out from Korr town. 

 

Below is the home of the mother of the bride. Deborah was waiting inside, as the bride normally stays inside for most of the celebrations.

 

Milking goats for the morning cuppa whilst waiting for the groom to arrive

 

 

Eventually we heard the chanting and singing of the men as they approached, dressed in their finest warrior outfits and painted in red ochre. They brought with them two sheep; one was taken into the mother-in-law’s min and the other was taken to be slaughtered as a symbol of the marriage agreement. The mother-in-law went over to the best man and groom and took their shoes. They are supposed to go bare foot for four days!

 

 

 

The second sheep was slaughtered and special pieces of fat were presented to the bride’s family inside the min. Daniel, the groom, wears the white sheet and John, one of my colleagues, wears the blue.

 

 

Meanwhile the women arrive in all their finery with the jangle of bells.

 

Here are the happy modern couple…apparently it is unusual for the bride to come out at this stage. Daniel and Deborah are on the left.
 

 

We then left, but the rest of the day and night would be taken up with eating sheep, dancing and singing. The happy couple will build a new house next to the bride’s mother. Traditionally newlyweds live there until the birth of their first child and then move to the husband’s clan village. However, things are different for educated Rendille and many traditional customs are not adhered to strictly. I think Daniel and Deborah will move to Korr there where Daniel already has a house as they work in or near town.

The Myth of Dustless Chalk (and Other Thoughts)

I'm glad I began teaching in the 21st Century. Only on teaching practice did I encounter chalk and since then I've always used a white (or SMART board). That is, until I came to Korr. All classrooms have a black board. They are large, and need to be for the amount we write on them. But it is the chalk that is the challenge. The boxes claim the sticks we have are dustless. This is not the case. Chalk dust gets everywhere and is just horrid!

Putting on a smile despite the chalk dust!

Despite being in the northern hemisphere (just), June-August is the cool time of year in Korr. Temperatures drop below 30 degrees and strangely this seems cold to me, especially as the wind is still going strong. I need a jumper and a have a blanket at night.

I had always thought that school children in Africa would be very well behaved. Obviously this is a generalisation as Africa is huge but I fell for it. It might actually true for the continent or even Kenya. But not for Korr! Students here are late to lessons, call out, cheat, lose their books, try and get out of wearing uniform. Like kids back home!

And my final thought is that I don't think I will ever prefer sweet Kenyan chai to a good English cuppa (without sugar) no matter how much of the sweet stuff I am given!  

Prone to wander

Yesterday I bought a camel bell from a local man called Lekuche who came to the school. I think he must have heard that some wazungus were interested in buying bells and I got a help in negotiating a good price. He came to the house just now with another, smaller one and I managed to do some bargaining on price, on my own this time, in Rendille. 
 

 
Camel bells are carved by hand from wood. Lekuche had cuts on his hands to prove it! The bells make a distinctive sound a bit like a wooden xylophone. I often hear the sound on the breeze as camel herds pass. And Jim and Laura have some hanging outside their house, like wind chimes.
 

Camels are vital to traditional Rendille pastoralists. I recently read it put like this:

"You can't understand these peoples if you don't understand that livestock is the spinal cord of their whole existence. Bank, pantry, symbol of power, of fertility, arsenal, soulmate, spirituality, work, pastime , spectacle, subject of conversation, of poetry, of song, exchange currency, reason for existing, for loving, for fighting and dying, livestock is everything and there is nothing outside of livestock. I have livestock therefore I am: that is the pastoral cogito." 

Not all camels wear bells. The camel in the lead wears one, but also the ones who are likely to wander off and get separated from the herd wear them. You don't want to lose a camel, so herders put bells round the necks of wayward animals. Hearing this fact this reminded me of a song that I like - Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. One verse (below) mentions how I am like one of those wandering camels. Yet God loves me so much (even more than a Rendille man loves his camels) that he sent Jesus to rescue me from my wanderings.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.