New Year Adventures!

After a much needed relaxing vacation, we are back to school, with a somewhat motivating panic to put in, and get out, as much as we can at Hamomi while we are still here. Everyday that passes brings us one day closer to leaving, and the thought of our time here being over is quite terrifying.

The start of the new school year has brought many new things about, and has kept us very busy. This entry is less about what we've actually accomplished, and more about the adventure it has been trying to accomplish said things. It will be proof to the statement that nothing here is done efficiently especially when relying on public transportation. Additionally, after having read over this post, it may not be the most entertaining on our blog, but we felt it is important to keep everyone updated on how we're spending the majority of our time here.

I must first begin by saying that nothing we have been able to do for the school can be attributed to us, as it is only because the generous and loving hearts of the people supporting us back home that has made these wonderful blessings possible. We are truly overwhelmed at all of the support people have given us to funnel into the school and it has been our pleasure to do so.

As we started the new year, we had a specific and ambitious agenda. We have been working for some time with the students on the basics of typing and other primary functions of the computer. Our goal now is to educate them about the internet and to create a student blog, one which they can write on to give people a unique perspective and insight into everyday life at Hamomi straight from the students' mouths. That being said, our first order of business was to buy an internet modem, which is a prepaid internet card through a cell phone company that is plugged in through the USB and can be used anywhere. We were quick to realize that it would streamline the teaching process if we bought two, one for each computer, so that students could work simultaneously on the same lesson. Luckily, they are quite cheap ( about half of what they were a year ago when I was studying here), so we bought another one and they have been a great teaching aide and a much more productive alternative to organizing trips to the cyber cafe.

Aside from the modems, we had some leftover donated Christmas money that we hadn't yet decided what to do with. The second day of the year answered that question, when we had a meeting to discuss the lower than expected English and Science scores from the students on the National Primary exam. Eric and I knew immediately that we wanted to help boost these scores by investing in some books for the students to have to enhance their comprehension. Thus started the week and a half long journey of errand after errand after errand.

In the U.S., when we want to buy something and something in bulk it is usually second nature to hop online, check the website and local store for availability, perhaps call and put them on hold, and off we go to the store, a one stop shop and we're done. Thinking about that process is almost laughable here. Once we decided we were going to get books, our first order of business was to go the major bookstore in the Nairobi area to check out their merchandise. So, after leaving Hamomi one afternoon, we walked home, dropped our stuff then walked to the matatu stop that would take us to Westlands, a higher class neighborhood about a fifteen minute ride by matatu. Once there, we skimmed over some books, and found one that we thought would be a great teaching aide. We even brainstormed doing a storybook class, with exercises, vocab lessons, etc etc etc. The store only had three copies, and we were in the market for 25, so we placed an order and were told they would call us in a couple days when they were ready to be picked up, as they had to be shipped from the publisher. No problem.

Next order of business was to stop at the Nairobi Sport House to check into buying new soccer uniforms for the team, along with new balls and other P.E. equipment. Our wonderful friends Charlie and Theresa donated money specifically for this, and we were thrilled to be able to get the school quality equipment that should last for a long time. We had a contact there, as we had used this company to buy a majority of the backpacks for Christmas, and knew we could get a good discount. After exchanging familiarities with Sanjay, our guy, he told us that branch didn't carry any uniforms, or a catalog with their stock, and that we'd have to go to town to their main store. Sigh. Now, this isn't a huge deal, but by the time we leave Hamomi in the afternoon, we only have time for one trip, either Westlands or town, certainly not both, because trying to get home in the middle of rush hour would most certainly put our arrival time home well after dark, not to mention guarantee us at least an hour sitting in the jam.

So, already, we knew we had two more days of errands, one more to Westlands to pick up the rest of the books, and another to town to order uniforms. Upon arrival at home, we quickly realized the book we ordered would not be the best book for our teaching purposes, not to mention, it wasn't quite the kind of book that would best help the students. Having no phone number to call the bookstore at, we had to wait for them to call us before we could tell them we wouldn't be needing the books.

Fast forward to the next day, Thursday of last week, we head to town to go scout out uniforms and equipment. After weighing our options and taking picture of various varieties, we decided it would be best if we took the options to the Coach to make sure that's what he wanted ( after all, it's his team, their uniforms), and we wanted them to be part of the decision. We asked if there was a number or an email we could use to place the order to avoid having to come back down to town, a trip made only when necessary. No such luck. Oh well, another trip it was. Friday morning our uniform research was accepted excitedly and we were thrilled they liked the uniform we had liked the best. But, we couldn't place the order until Tuesday that next week because we had a barbecue to go to Friday afternoon and Monday was committed to book shopping. Fast forward over our weekend and we're back on the move Monday afternoon, back to the bookstore, where we returned the books we bought and, much to their dismay, rejected the order of the other copies that had come in. It was at this time we shifted our focus from buying merely a story book to buying a book of short stories, ones that could be easily read and discussed in a short amount of time. Failing to find any such book that would be suitable to their reading level we stumbled across the English section of curriculum books and were intrigued by a few that not only had short stories, and by short I mean a page and a half to two pages, but it also had vocabulary lessons, comprehension questions, the whole kit and kaboodle. While this was not what we had told them we would get, we started thinking that this might be the best option for the students to really improve their test scores, not to mention it followed the national curriculum. However, we didn't want to impose a book on the teacher that wasn't what they wanted, so we gave the head teacher Edwine a call to report our findings. Unfortunately, he wasn't available and we contemplated our next move. Now we knew that the teachers and students would be thrilled with any new book, especially because we were buying one for each students, a luxury they are deprived of due to limited finances but as stated before, we didn't want to barge in and force a book on them. So, quite begrudgingly, we figured it was best to go back to the school the next day, see what book they currently used and talk to them about what we were thinking. That was bookstore trip number two.

Tuesday, as scheduled, we went back to town to order the uniforms. We didn't want to delay because they take three weeks to order and we wanted them to arrive well before we leave, so we can see the team don them for at least one or two matches before our departure. We had a hefty order, and were assisted by more than one person grabbing the various soccer balls while the other tallied up our rapidly increasing tab. Having finalized everything, the jerseys, sizes, screen printing, etc., we then headed to the manager to discuss the discount. One of the best things about Nairobi... everything is negotiable. The more you buy, the more you save. Plus, explaining we work at an NGO in a popular slum doesn't hurt either, not to mention we spent hundreds of dollars at the same store just before the holiday. We watched in anticipation as he crunched the numbers, with a specific number in our heads that we were shooting for. We were utterly shocked when the final price he came out with was a solid 5,000 Ksh ( 62 dollars) less than what we were prepared to shell out! Now, I'm fairly certain we could've bargained more, but we had the money, and a 25% discount, so we shook hands and gathered up our loot. With money to spare, we were able to purchase a set of 16 uniforms with "Hamomi" screened on the back and a number for each jersey, plus five new, high quality standard soccer balls, and three smaller soccer balls for our various P.E. games like kickball and handball. With the leftover money we are going to buy a new goalkeeper uniform, plus gloves, and perhaps matching socks for each player. When the uniforms come in, it will be like Christmas all over again. Oh, and we are also getting the current uniforms screened and numbered as well, which will then be handed down to the girls and the boys will get the new ones.

That was Tuesday. Wednesday morning, the coach, teachers, and students were so excited about the new balls we brought. Clyford, the goalkeeper, came into the office, checked them out, nodding approvingly, and told us we had done a great job. The coach, teacher Daniel, and Edwine showered us with praises for a job well done, which we assured them we were not the ones responsible for such a gift. Thanks Uncle Charlie!!!
After spending most of the day breaking in the new balls, bookstore trip number three was on the docket and we headed back out to Westlands to pick up the agreed upon curriculum books for standard 7 and 8, vowing this was our LAST trip there. LoL. silly us. Upping arrival, we marched straight to the aisle, determined to make a quick getaway. NO WAY!!! The pile of Standard 7 books had diminished and there were merely two copies of the needed book on the shelf. Less than excited about the inevitable fourth trip to be made, we picked up the eighth grade books, the two 7 books, and went to the counter to order the remaining ten books, with the worker who had become pretty familiar with our faces around there. Assured they would be there the same time the next day, we didn't want to take any chances, and asked for a card with a number we could call before making the trek there only to have the books not be there, a very real possibility here in Nairobi. Thursday morning was a similar scene to Wednesday, with teachers coming to admire the brand spanking new books, and very excited about the quantity of them. We were once again congratulated for all of our efforts and were assured we have made an impact bigger than we could understand at the moment. It is both utterly satisfying yet a bit undeserved being thanked for doing something that was only made possible by someone else. Assuring them the donated books were a product of alot of people's hard work, I told them I would pass the thanks along to those who most deserved it. So, from the students and teachers at Hamomi, the biggest and most sincere THANK YOU goes out to all of you who have support them during our stay here. Your money is helping improve the education level at the school and has put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces.

A short while later, Edwine appeared with a post-it and asked if we could spare a few minutes. He then again acknowledged how much we have done for the school and how grateful they are for everything. He went on to say he didn't want to "push us against the wall" or ask anything of us, but was wondering if there was a possibility of us helping other teachers by getting some much needed guide books and teaching materials for various grades and subjects. Now, the way we've approached donated money is that we have X amount to spend on Hamomi and are happy to use it any way that will benefit the school and provide a better learning environment. I think sometimes as donors, we get an idea of what we want to see happen at the school and it may or may not be what the school needs most. That being said, we were more than happy to take the list, and told him we would get as much as we could with what we had. Bookstore trip number four had us employing the help of three bookstore workers, roaming the shelves finding the books we needed, while we waited, somewhat impatiently for the books that were guaranteed to be there, to arrive. I must back up and mention that before we went to the store that day, we called the number on the card given to us four times, with no answer. Typical. All too typical. Anyway, we were assured upon our arrival that the shipment was actually en route and it would be a matter of minutes until they arrived. After an hour or so, we left the store, with the ten remaining English books, along wit a dozen of other teaching materials. Friday was yet another joyous day, with us handing out books left and right, and teachers and students nodding approvingly, showering us with still more thanks and gratitude. And thus concluded our shopping adventure...... or so we hoped.

 But, of course, it didn't. Because, naturally, a few of the guide books we requested needed to be ordered, and would be available on Saturday, however, having committed our Saturday to relaxing and a date, we told them we wouldn't come to get them until Monday, forcing the fifth and ABSOLUTELY FINAL trip to Westlands, to the bookstore. Or so we hope.

-Laurel