Thankful

I woke up this morning and made it all the way to Jeff and Kim Nelson's couch. I stayed there for the next three hours and had two breakfasts, one of which included Oreo Double Stuff cookies. Let's just say it's good to be home!

Many of you know I got sick. A couple days before we were to fly home I came down with a viral pneumonia in both lungs. I started in a hospital in Arusha which didn't have the facilities to properly help. In fact, at one point I needed to go on oxygen and they had to decide whether it was me or the old guy who got the bottle. It went to the old guy. So, I was flown to the Nairobi Hospital and wound up in the ICU for a couple days. All in all, I was in the Nairobi Hospital for about a week.

Peter and Lisa were by my side the whole time. Peter was supposed to fly home and cancelled his flight to help me. Lisa was supposed to be celebrating her birthday and doing last minute Christmas shopping. Everyone was just supposed to go home. But they changed their plans to help me.

Lots of people also supported us. People prayed, called, e-mailed, sent money and cards. Rapha came up from Arusha and and made his way to the hospital in Nairobi for a visit.

I've never had anything like that happen before obviously hope to never have it happen again. I always try to look for a meaning or reason in things happening. Maybe this was my warning to slow down. Maybe it was a lesson so I can empathize with sick people I encounter. Maybe it had nothing to do with me and was just an opportunity for a lot of people to get to be a blessing to someone else...namely me. I don't really know why all of this happened but I do know I have a few things at this Christmas time to be thankful for...

1. Breath in my lungs

2. Lisa and Peter literally being right by my side

3. Skilled doctors who could fix me

4. Family and friends who poured out love and support

5. Finally being HOME

May God bless you and yours as we finish this year. And even if there's a boat load of crap you're having to go through, may it be a time that you notice a few things for which to be thankful.

The Top 14 Things that Tried to Kill Us This Week

Students add a tarp to the water pit to prevent evaporation.
Water pit construction. You can see the pipe leading from the settling pond to the pit. Also, in the background is the ongoing goat house project.
Student Isaack working on his science fair project. He's seeing if soda rots your teeth!
Form 2 students investigating breeds of rabbits in one of the enrichment classes.
Ahhh...the peaceful road leading to our house on Friday.

Let me just say this was a difficult week. Here's the run-down

1. By Monday we had lost three teachers (they were marking national tests, etc...) so we had six teachers for 135 students!

2. Form 2 and 3 students were finished with testing... and mentally finished with school! We had to work extra hard to convince them they really wanted to be there!

3. Because they are finished with classes, we get to do "other stuff" with Form 2 and 3 students. Form 3 are busy working on research papers and a drama. Form 2's are doing extra classes, science fair and drama. A science fair! Cripes!

4. Tuesday we sent Pre-form on a field trip to Snake Park. This is an annual end-of-year trip for pre-form where they look at local snakes, ride camels and go through a cultural tour... of the Maasai!

5. Thursday was Thanksgiving. We stayed up late in Arusha eating turkey dinner with friends Hunter and Tate.

6. Friday Lisa and Peter took students to Usa River on the other side of Arusha for a football match (boys and girls). While this was a great opportunity for those students, it also reduced our teaching staff yet again!

7. It's been raining! Everything is covered in mud!

8. Whitney had four friends arrive and stay in the house for a couple of days. They were very nice and brought lots of supplies for the school.

9. Trying to make revisions on the water pit. We dug the settling ponds too deep so all the water that flows to them just sinks into the ground before it reaches the pipe to actually go into the pit. I was down investigating Friday and dropped my phone in the water!

10. Still have to teach! Just because everything else is happening doesn't mean you can forget your teaching responsibilities. This is my favorite part anyway, so I try to plan around that first. We're getting the Form 1's ready for their end of year finals. I also worked with the form 2's offering extra enrichment classes. One was doing these interactive rabbit stations from a kit I got from the Ohio State University 4-H. The students really seemed to enjoy it!

11. Lisa's been working with the sports kids getting them ready for a sports weekend in Moshi next weekend.

12. Tests and reporting has to happen! We've been collecting student comments for all forms, grades, final form 1 tests, etc... Obviously that takes a lot of time, hunting down people, etc...

13. Student absences because of ceremonies. This year marks the beginning of the traditional circumcision ceremonies. Many of our boys wanted to go through this rite of passage. However, since our school goes about three weeks longer than other schools, we've had some scheduling conflicts. I think we've reached a good compromise with the students who will participate. But, it has definitely been a big unknown variable this week.

14. Oh yeah... and we sent one of our students to America for three weeks yesterday! Our student, Margaret was selected to participate in an international leadership event held in Washington DC. She went to Dar Es Salaam earlier this week, returned mid-week, and flew out of Dar yesterday.

By Friday, I was pretty whipped. I got dropped off in Monduli and was walking up the hill to my house. It was pretty peaceful and the sun was shining. The jacaranda trees are in full bloom and smelled amazing. I can lose perspective pretty fast...especially after a week like this. I took a picture of the road to help me remember....

Coffee Farm Tour and Sports Fest with Form 2

This week our Form 2 students had some free time. They had tests on Monday and Friday...but nothing in between. So, we had some fun. On Tuesday I took them to a coffee farm near Arusha named Kimmemo. We learned about the production process for my favorite drink in the whole wide world. Now, were my intentions to turn them all into coffee lovers? Not exactly. But, I did get to share a nice cup with the students at the conclusion of the tour. I think they enjoyed the tour. But, what they really enjoyed was when we drove by the herd of milk cows that the coffee farm also owned! You can take the Maasai cattle herder off the farm, but you....

On Wednesday Lisa planned a sports/games tournament with the Form 2 students. They played board games, netball, basketball and volleyball. They kept track of their points for wins in each of those areas and top teams received a prize.

One thing that made both of those days difficult is that the students, as good as they are, were not in the mindset to play! They had a test to take on Friday and they wanted to study for that. They "got in to" the tour and the sports, but not like they normally do. It's funny how focused they get. These tests have been on their minds for years - literally.

Finally Finished with Tests

I am so pleased to announce we are finally finished with the Form 3 Mock Examination and the Form 2 National Exam! I can't tell you what a relief that

The Garden Gate

Water Catchment Pit Finished!

After nearly six weeks of work, we finally finished the water catchment pit! I have loved and hated this project for many reasons. Obviously its been a lot of work and taken every Saturday for the past month. But, it's also been a wonderful time to learn more about my students. Who volunteers to give up their Saturday to come do hard physical labor? Orkeeswa students do! I am so proud of them.

This pit is designed to catch water flowing down the hill. We will use the water to irrigate the garden in the dry season. My hope is that something like this can be repeated out in the community.

The Garden Gate

The garden gate was being left open. This presented a problem as many donkeys, goats, dogs and various other animals were welcoming themselves inside. So, I made a closure. I hung a rope over a tree, attached one end to the gate and the other end to a small piece of wood. The weight of the wood acted as a counter weight and pulled the gate closed. At first I was going to use a big rock, but it slammed the gate shut too fast and I imagined young children losing an arm... so we opted for the much lighter piece of wood. It's been working great for about a week: gate closes, donkeys out, problem solved - or so it would seem.

On Saturday we were working on the water catchment pit. We needed some materials from inside the garden, so I sent in three students; two girls and one boy. I watched the two girls go over to the garden gate and use their combined efforts to open it. I thought they were just playing around, so I thought little more about it. After a few minutes the girls returned separately. Again, I watched them walk back through the gate. This time a boy was helping one of the girls open the gate. This time I payed attention! I realized that possibly the weight was too much (me make things too heavy, course or rough? NEVER!)

I asked the girl to come back and show me how she opened the gate. She looked at me like I was crazy, but went over to the gate. This particular girl weighs maybe 80 pounds. She has a wonderful sense of humor and is full of life. She braced herself, gripped the gate with both hands, and threw her whole force into the opening the gate... about six inches!

Perhaps I need to reduce the weight. Maybe I could use a pulley to make things open just a bit easier. But, I would not have changed that moment for anything.

Form 2 & 3 Tests

We're in the midst of Form 2 National Exams and Form 3 District Mock Exams. It's a little crazy! The students seem to be holding up well though. We had a yoga instructor come earlier this week. I think timing was perfect. Reduced stress. Released some endorphin. These tests are basically all consuming for many students so we try to help keep things in perspective.

The Bat Who Buzzed My Bum Bum

Lisa and Form 2 student Anna at the Arusha 1/2 Marathon

Seth, Isdori, Rose and Ester with skeletons from biology class. These skeletons were actually being used in a drama at the time!
We hiked to this waterfall near Moshi a few weeks ago.

Board Chair Jim Keller comes to visit

I think very few non-profit board chairs would leave the comforts of home, fly for many hours, fight the dust and bumps in the road and spend an entire week learning about the culture of the project they are chairing. But, Jim did. I didn't know what I would think of Jim. Would he be stuffy? Would he be pushy? Would he not like the long winded stories I like to tell? (Just to clarify, everyone likes the long winded stories I like to tell...so if you don't, please don't tell me!) Yet, Jim was none of these. I found him to be a successful businessperson who, for some reason, has taken a serious interest in shaping the future of Orkeeswa, and consequently these students we work with. He was right there in the mix of things this past week. He went to meetings in the village, meetings at the school, meetings before and after school. Yet, he was very open all along the way.

I've often heard non-profits complain their board "just doesn't get it." They are a detached group who doesn't appreciate the realities of day to day operations. But, it seems to me, that Jim is a chairperson who gets it. So to Jim, a very sincere thanks is extended your way. You could very easily have been anywhere else in the world and you chose to be with us.

Return of the Greg

Also joining us at the time of Jim's visit is Greg Flett - my singing buddy and associate director for IEFT. He lives in the US in Boston. He's a good dude. We seem to eat well and have a boat load of fun whenever he's around! Unfortunately he too is leaving on Thursday.

Dr. Challenges

I have had to learn about African agriculture. Many would say that I am a terrible agriculture teacher here because I don't know much about the way things work. Sure, the general principles are the same - put a seed in the ground, provide water, keep the bugs and disease away and harvest when it's ready. But virtually everything is different - the types of crops, the availability of water, the soil type, the heat, the day length, the markets, etc...

So, I shouldn't be so critical when others come to do medical work and are unfamiliar with the myriad of diseases they are presented. But, I am.

I serve as the medical person for our school and ultimately have to make the decision as to whether a student can be treated at school, or needs additional help at a local clinic. Usually, I depend on the clinic for everything from upper respiratory issues to parasites to helping remove a thorn from a students hand. That kind of stuff. The general rule of thumb is that in Tanzania many pills will be prescribed. I think in general this is a good idea. If you aren't 100% sure what the problem is, just treat for a few different things with a few different meds and hopefully one works. What I've seen is, for the most part, that works. But, I'm not a doctor.

I think there's probably issues with giving out lots of meds. Disease resistant strains are always a threat. There's the chance that complications could happen if a student has a reaction to the meds. So, I'm guessing there's some logic in not over-prescribing medicine too.

Recently, we have seen a lot of upper respiratory issues; colds if you will. I've found that students just need some medicine in order to get over these colds. But, we went through some time of one doctor who would refuse to give the meds to our students!

Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I think he was doing what he thought was right. I don't think he knew the diseases and certainly didn't understand the living situations of many of our students. It was a bit of a disaster.

I think we've finally reached some resolution and he's doling out the appropriate meds again. Our students are fortunate to have that clinic so close and receive that level of care - probably no other school in East Africa does that. But, it's a good reminder of the challenges that happen with the transient population we have here doing short term professional work.

Preparing for Exams

We have the Form 2 National Exam and the Form 3 district mock exam coming up in the next two weeks. Yikes! As you may know, the Form 2 National Exam is the high stakes test which determines whether the student goes on to Form 3. If they fail, they will be forced to repeat Form 2 again. So, we've been busy setting up rooms, creating seating arrangements, etc... Once the tests actually begin, it's not so bad. Anyway, good luck to us all over the next two weeks!

Ah, that darn bat

Ok, here's the story. We have a pit latrine behind our house. I like to use it. We always have issues with running water, in that we don't have any right now...just bring in buckets. So, a pit latrine is more, um, convenient.

It was a dark and stormy night. I went to the latrine to do what I had to do. It was peaceful, almost serene inside. All of a sudden the light from my headlamp fell on the fluttering of wings. "Could it be?", I asked myself. I thought perhaps some gasses were affecting my judgement and went on my way; albeit a little more cautious. Then, again, the fluttering of wings just inches from my tucus. There was not doubt! A bat had set up residency in our toilet!

This presents a dilemma. I can't spend the next year not going to the bathroom. It's not healthy. However, I can also not live my life gripped with fear. If you have suggestions, please let Lisa know. I'm sure she will be MORE THAN HAPPY to receive an email entitled "Your Bat Bum Bum Problem." Thanks so much for your contributions.

Got our flights booked to come home - woo hoo

We are coming home! We'll be home for part of December and January. Don't have a schedule made yet. The only real item I know if is to GET FAT!

Peter Returns and Pre-Form Builds a Shelf . Not necessarily related, but both exciting on their own right…

Peter Returns

Peter returned from the U.S. on Tuesday night. He was raising funds for our student sponsorship for most of the month of October. He hit the ground running! He was at our house early Wednesday morning for breakfast and didn't really slow down until about Friday. We hadn't played squash for the entire time he was gone. Then, less than 48 hours after his return, there we were Thursday night swinging and running and sweating away! It was as if he never left.

Digging the Pit

For the second Saturday in a row we worked on the water catchment pit at school. Again, I was amazed at the number of students who turned up. We had around 20 students again. I was free to help a bit more this time so I set about swinging a pick-ax. I thought I was "hardened in" from working in the garden and other things around school. But, after only half an hour of swinging that tortuous tool, I found myself panting, sweating and well blistered. My students, on the other hand, had no problem with the work. One, in fact, kept referring to himself as a machine. Based on his abilities and apparent lack of blisters, I had to agree with him.

Pre-Form Woodworking

I began working with 12 pre-form woodworking students two weeks ago. Last week we built a shelf out of scrap wood. Wow they had a lot of enthusiasm! It had rained that afternoon, so we moved our operation to one of the school sidewalks, hopefully avoiding the mud. "OK guys, we need some shelves three feet long." "Whack, crash, bang!" "OK teacher – finished." Cramped on those narrow sidewalks we banged together a six foot tall shelf in 45 minutes. Was it the most beautiful masterpiece created by human hands? Well, not quite. A few of the pieces were a bit wider than others. Nails jutted akimbo from multiple sides. And, it's possible, that many of the pieces used were infested with termites ultimately spelling a really short life for that shelf. But those guys built with gusto. Or, like my mom likes to say 'like they were killing snakes.' We'll work on finesse later.

Girl's Football (Soccer)

Our girls soccer team played in a league called Future Stars on Saturday. Apparently they are pretty good. They tied Saturday to a team called the Black Mambas. Don't you think the other team deserves one goal just for the name alone? Anyway, it just reconfirms my belief that our girls are some tough mamma-jammas. If you want to get something done, you ask an Orkeeswa girl. They're tough, smart and apparently not to shabby at scoring goals.

Upper respiratory, please – for all!

Well, it's cold season. Or, it sure seemed it this past week. Cripes! It seemed as though everyone was hacking and coughing and sneezing and wheezing. I'm hoping everyone went home this weekend and was magically healed and will all be healthy next week. Please…

Big week coming up

This coming week is bound to be busy. The chairmen of the IEFT board is coming to visit along with our associate director. It's going to be good to have them here and share some of the good things that have been going on at the school. Personally, I'm hoping to introduce both of them to the business end of a pick-ax and see if they too are machines down in that water pit… only time will tell.

Just a Normal Week at Orkeeswa

I have been sitting here racking my brains trying to remember anything out of the ordinary this week. And really, there's not too much!

A girl broke her arm and is STILL waiting to have it put in a hard cast. Apparently it's too swollen. That's taken two trips in to Arusha to discover that.

I've been working on a goat house and water catchment pit with the students after school. About thirty came in yesterday to excavate the rock hard ground– voluntarily!

But, for the most part it was just a normal week. We taught classes. We were exhausted at night. We went in to Arusha and bought some groceries. We ate at a new restaurant that was local and had really good barbecue.

So, since it was just a normal week, I included a few pictures from the past few months. Enjoy!