Friday, February 14, 2014

Blog 2: Laughed at in the Cafeteria


It is the fear of every school child: to be sitting in the lunch room having everyone laughing at you. This is what I experienced during the first week of my fifth trip to Kenya, though it wasn’t as painful as it would have been 20 years ago. Rather, it was oddly enjoyable. The subject of jeer: a peanut butter sandwich!

I went to two primary schools (Grades 1 – 8) during the last week to introduce the older students to a Lego EV3 Robot and document the students’ problem solving skills.  Kenyan students are primarily taught using memorization techniques and I wondered how they would respond to puzzles.

However, it was during the breaks with the teachers that were the most memorable.  There I was, in a concrete building with a corrugated, tin roof, concrete floor with a light dusting of dirt, the only source of light coming in from the door and solitary window, sitting on plastic lawn chairs behind big wooden desks. This was the staff room, teacher’s office, administration office, and break room.

The 8 teachers, mostly in their 40’s, were eating heaping mounds of rice and vegetarian stew. I was sitting there with a dry, sad peanut butter sandwich, unable to stomach the water that is used to prepare their dishes and thus unable to join them in their sumptuous meal. Trying to explain why I couldn’t eat their food was a tricky task, as it was certainly rude (anywhere) to bring out my own very different meal when such a delightful, warm dish was offered to me.

After my explanation, a roar of laughter erupted and furious conversation where I could pick out the occasional English words: stomach and peanut, and the Swahili words: maji (water) and mzungo (white person). It was at that moment that it dawned on me that had this event occurred 20 years earlier, I probably would have burst from the room in tears, but after 5 trips to Kenya, I was accustomed to this reaction to the differences in our cultures.

However, having spent a few days substituting in Canadian schools, being in the staffroom does not feel completely unfamiliar. The teachers enjoying private discussions in separate groups around the room, while I’m eating quietly, keeping to myself. Occasionally a question is directed towards me, to which all groups look over for my answer.

All in all, it was successful week. The children responded well to the puzzles and robots, and it was interesting to see how they attack problems. Meanwhile, the rest of our team was on an airplane, leaving Wed evening and some not getting in until late Saturday night. All have arrived safely and are on their way to Mikinduri, where we will begin our preparations for 9 days of medical, dental, and vision clinics.  Last year we saw 6000 patients in that time and hope this year will be as big a success. You can find more information at www.mikinduri.com


No comments:

Post a Comment