isyitwa yakwa ni Mumo (my name is Mumo)

The title is actually in Kikamba not Kiswahili and Mumo is my Kamba name. Everybody calls me Mumo.

Well, its been a long time hasn't it. And how have you been? This appears to be the new schedule, updating about once a month. The nearest internet is at the Post Office which is not open on the weekends. Since I teach during the week its impossible to come when it is open. Today, I happen to be picking up some medication...for malaria...prevention. My ammount ran out so I was allowed the day off to go pick my supplies. But enough of that. What's been happening?

The school year has been in full swing for 4 weeks now. The first week or two were spent waiting for students to scrape together school fees and come to school. This is no easy feat since there is a drought happening in Kenya. School fees are hard to come by. Also, the first year students did not arrive until last week, because they were waiting to see if they would be excepted into the more distinguished, reputable secondary schools. There is a trickle down effect: the best students to national schools, then provincial, then district. I am at a district school, and a very new and rural one at that.

I am now teaching Biology and Chemistry Form 1, Math and Physics and P.E. Form 2, and Goegraphy Form 3. It is quite an assortment and some I haven't taken since I was in secondary school.

Last week, during our morning assembly an animal entered the grounds. The principal stopped the assembly and said to the students, "Can anybody tell me what that is? Is it a...hyena?" And the students took off running after the animal to stone it to death. Just another day in Kenya.

Also last week, 3 teachers quit. They were disgruntled over their pay, which is admittedly very low. The end of last week was very bleak. But the teachers were enticed to return this week with a modest increase in salary and they were told to 'think about the students'.

Kenya has been all abuzz lately with football. It's in the newspapers, on television, much as it was in America. Except I'm talking about soccer. It is the African Nation's Cup. Two places in the market area have generators that they run at night to power televisions to watch the games. When there are no games the watch cheesy action movies starring Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Arnold Schwarzenneger. It's good fun.

A scorpion entered my house. I jumped up on my chair. Then I dropped a roll of duct tape on it. Then I swept it out of the house.

The following day I found a scorpion in the toilet area. I should have knocked before entering. It's so embarassing to walk in on somebody in the bathroom. I thought of relieving myself on it, but decided not to provoke it, plus I would have had to clean up the mess. Instead, I did my business and allowed it to continue its own business.

I think I shall climb Mt. Kenya in April.

That's it for now, but next time I want to shed a little light on the structure of Kenyan secondary schools.

Until then, peace out.

P.S. You can thank my brother for the updates to the pictures and the captions that describe them.