Kenya Week 2 Blog Post

Week 2 is done and we have officially taught lessons in 15 different schools! Our days are long and packed full of walking, lesson planning and teaching. We are beginning to settle into a routine, we have cooking and cleaning down to a science, and the sign of rain clouds in the distance is becoming a welcome sight (showers!!!). Mikei is quite a small village but there is never a lack of stimulation. Everywhere we walk we are greeted by neighbours, smiling children, and animals (cows, chickens, goats, dogs). We love to play with the neighbourhood children who are often found outside our gate awaiting our arrival home from school.Chris playing with Sancho and RooneyTuesday was a very exciting day for the QHO Kenya team! Two members of our group got accepted to MacMaster University for their subsequent post-graduate programs. Claire was accepted to Macmaster for Medical School and Maddie was accepted into a Global Health Master’s Program. We are so proud of them, congratulations Claire and Maddie!Wednesday night, Fred and Beatrice hosted a farewell dinner for our wonderful PD’s: Maddie and Katie. Fred, in addition to being one of our neighbours, is Edward’s brother and most trusted confidante. We had a delicious meal with their entire family, but the evening was indescribable! We enjoyed Beatrice’s homemade masala tea, chipati and pea soup, and we brought some Canadian cuisine for their family to try. The extended family is quite large, and we felt so lucky to be included in such an amazing night, filled with dancing, laughter and love.The following day we woke up early to say goodbye to Katie and Maddie before they left. We are so grateful for all their hard work throughout the year, and thanks to them we feel prepared for the next five weeks!Katie and Maddie on the walk home from Masara PrimaryTeaching has been going well, especially in our second week, as the students have been able to warm up to us. The students are becoming more engaged in all our classroom discussions, which is super exciting. They are opening up to us with regards to the day-to-day issues that they face and the struggles they encounter; this has helped enormously with our understanding of the culture and also with planning future lessons. This week, our lessons were mainly focused on healthy relationships and puberty (depending on the age of the students). We are looking forward to starting lessons and discussions regarding sex, consent, pregnancy and contraceptives in the upcoming week.Lucie and Maddy with their Radienya Secondary classOn Saturday, we went to Migori to go to the market to pick up this week’s groceries, and to meet Edward for lunch and a meeting. Over a long lunch at the Migori County Lodge, we had the chance to chat more with Edward and get to know more about his organization Rieko Kenya. We also had the opportunity to discuss several QHO matters, and are looking forward to planning a new addition to our initiative; a community outreach day in mid-May to get to know more of the Mikei residents, and families of our students. Stay tuned!Edward showing us one of Reiko Kenya’s other projectsWe are so beyond happy to be here, and are all so shocked at how fast the days have been going by. Each day brings new experiences and opportunities, and we are looking forward to seeing where the next 5 weeks will take us!Asanté sana! Thank you for your support!!