Happy Thanksgiving

Once again I am in Nairobi.  I am writing this post from the comfortable confines of the Peace Corps office.  I arrived in Nairobi yesterday to meet up with some other volunteers to celebrate Thanksgiving.  A former PCV who now works for an NGO in Nairobi graciously invited us into her beautiful apartment so we could enjoy a feast.  We also got to watch The Office!  All of us were pretty excited for that.

The term ended on Wednesday as the parents came to pick up their kids that day.  This term sure flew by.  To wrap up the term I had to fill out forms for each student and write their marks (grades) in each of their report books.  We had to compile a form to give to their parents.  On the form I needed to list the things that they students needed to bring to school next term, the existing balances, and any medical fees that the student incurred over the term.  I was stunned to see the ridiculously high balances for most of the students but I guess its not surprising as most of Kenya is very very poor.  The school must accept the students even if their parents can not pay the school fees. 

Now I have a pretty long break until the next school year starts in January.  I’ll be in and out of Maua.  I will continue to make some trips to Nairobi and Loitokitok to help out with training before they swear-in in January.  Most importantly, my dad is arriving in Kenya just after Christmas and we’re both getting excited to climb Mount Kenya together and go on a safari.