Camp!

Today was day two of the Elewana project education camp!
Day one, yesterday, started as most Kenyan events do, slowly. The camp was scheduled to start at 8:30 once all the campers showed up. This funny thing happens in Kenya where people don't show up until anywhere from an hour to 2 days late. Well, yesterday morning was no exception. We received our first seven boys around 9:45. Three more arrived about 20 minutes ago. Remember, today is day TWO of camp. They were about 32 hours late. No big deal. We almost have all of our campers by now.

I'll let you in on a little secret. As much as I bitch about people running late, I really think it is an endearing quality of the culture. Yes it's frustrating and, on a deeper level, it reflects a bit about reasons their government functions the way it does, (the passing on of responsibility and all that) but if you want to just look at it on the surface, running late shows that people don't take themselves too seriously. What they care about is the occasion, not the timing.

We started the camp students with a small assessment so we can gauge their process over the next two weeks. These boys are so smart! They are engaged in the discussions, the make good observations, and they work hard. I sat in on one of the earlier workshops yesterday and was impressed by what they were saying. The only things they weren't too comprehensive in were grapevines, the three man weave and baseball. Yes, American sports gave them a challenge.

We mixed up sports time today and sent them on the scavenger hunt. None of them had ever heard of scavenger hunts before. After a thorough explanation of the rules and well, the purpose, we predicted either an epic failure or an epic success. Let's just say that, after running around Amagoro town, and the next town too, all day, these kids are tired. It seemed like they were having a blast, but to be honest, I was having too much fun too. I was stationed at the Hospital in the neighboring town. I had to meet with the D.A.O. beforehand to discuss the needs and community assessment of the hospital, since he was too busy to meet with the boys himself..... To get to the hospital I had to ride on the pikipiki.... for the first time! And guess what? I didn't even die!!

We spent the last few days as well as most of this morning planning for the scavenger hunt. What the heck am I going to do with all my time now that I don't have to draw out maps and write clues and put a million pieces of a puzzle together? I could start working on another lesson plan, maybe read a book.

I just started reading Fahrenheit 451 again. I forgot how much I loved reading books. Now that I don't have much internet access, I can actually sit and enjoy a book without my computer calling my name.
The rest of the Peace Corps-ers showed up last night so the only others we are waiting for are Nasi and Gilbert, the Nairobians, who are coming on saturday. We are already a packed house, I don't know how we are going to manage three more people but I'm sure we can make it work. There will be various visiting volunteers coming for a few days here and there over the course of the next few weeks, but that is really what kind of system we run here. The people are what make this project run, and we keep adding more variety with each new person that comes and goes.

The Elewana project is trying to move in a more self sustaining direction. The have incorporated a new policy of matching every shilling donated by a Kenyan community member by ten times. So each shilling donated is matched by ten shillings from the sponsors. They are trying to turn the project in a direction that is run by the people instead of depending on an outside force to pay for all these students. As was explained at the retreat last weekend, "the sponsor tree is getting old. We can only shake it for long." This way the project turns into a way for kids all over, even ones that aren't part of Elewana, can get a good education, because their community supports them. Not some anonymous wazungu from far away with deep pockets.

We are gearing up for another lesson, maybe two, tonight before wrapping up for dinner and lights out. Until tomorrow all you crazy folk back home!