Magical day and a loss and fullness

Pictures from Sunday  (Updated on Monday; Also, Saint Anthony always comes through.)

Shades in Nanyuki

Sunday began at 8 am in the morning.  Get up, get dressed, and stretch to see the world.

At 8:30, I was having breakfast and checking email, updating my blog, and geting ready for the day.  I really wanted to go to spiritual services with the girls, but I thought it started at 9:30.  At 9:00, there was already singing.  I wasn’t ready and so had to have my spiritual experience from a distance.  In the end, I think that was ok.  The services are led by students, and they should be for students.  

I worked on blog entries, got ready for the day, because at 11:30am, I met Stephen to go out into the day.  We would be headed out to the Animal Orphanage in Nanyuki, the home of the Bongo, one of the larger antelopes.  With a bit of a slow start, it made sense to start with an early lunch, so after getting some money, we headed to Shades in town, a cute cafe.  I had the chicken curry, and I should have taken a picture.  It was excellent!  Chicken curry and pilau and lemon tea.  Joining Stephen and I was Grace Wanene again, which was such a pleasure.  

After Shades, we were off to the Animal Orphanage where we saw animals like the cheetah, leopard, bongo, colobus, peacocks, pigmey hippos, and more.  I had plenty of pictures and some, luckily, I posted on Facebook and Instagram … I wish I could show you more … but unfortunately, in between my very short dinner visit at Global Platform (also on campus) and my walk to the volunteer office, I missplaced my phone.  I know I had it at dinner, because I looked for wifi and had resigned myself to not asking for the code.  I had also just checked my steps for the day (a little over 7000, not bad).  I definitely added another 1000 just walking all over campus and asking people if they had seen it (no one had).  

Cue a string of internal curse words couched between internal and external, Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come around.    So frustrating!  I’m really hoping that it makes its way back tomorrow.  (Update - it did!  It was buried in the couch I was working on. ) 

Sorry for what readers I have.  I’m going to spend a few minutes rationalizing this loss.  OK.  Most of my pictures have been backed up until December 23 or so, I think.  The Italian family visit, well, I posted a lot of those pictures on Facebook, so that’s cool.  I posted a number of pictures on Facebook of this trip as well.  I’m a little peeved about losing my notes from this trip, but it reminds me how great paper is and that I have been carrying a journal for a reason.  Just made some new contacts and those are gone, I think, though they may be in my online iCloud contacts.  That could work.  WhatsApp, which I just got, all my new contacts have my info so they can reach out to me.  Going back to Italy, I’ll just have to make sure my in-laws have my flight information since I won’t be able to call them (hopefully my phone comes back!).  On that note, it is a small campus.  Conceivably, the phone could come back.  If anyone just hits the power button, my picture is right there with Matteo as long as it’s charged.  I had been hoping to not replace my phone for a few more years.  I’m a few months away from being contract free, which I always like, but perhaps it’s ok to just get a replacement phone.  I have insurance for just this reason (though insurance isn’t free and replacing a phone is also expensive).  In the end, it will work out.  Hate that I’ll be without a phone for a few days.  In the scheme of things, it's not that bad, though, even though I’ll grumble for a while.

In other news, I pet a cheetah today, and she purred.  That’s pretty magical.  

At the Animal Orphanage while waiting for the taxi, Grace sat to my left and Stephen to my right.  Both of them were on their phones posting pictures, checking social media, etc.  I don’t have data here, so I’m totally dependent on wifi.  I couldn’t be on my phone.  I sat back in my chair and noticed the peace, the bright green of the grass, the animals on the lawn.  It was calm.  I breathed in deeply and noticed how, in my life generally, I don’t have many such opportunities to breathe deeply with no requirements for my time that day.  Perhaps that was a sign from the cosmos  ...

The flaw in this logic?  My phone is also my flashlight.  Unless this is a sign from the cosmos to also not work so hard AND get to my banda before 7:30 each evening, I don’t think this one is a sign.  

Plan for this week is this:  

I have scheduled myself for observations, going to each person twice.  

Teacher CJ (Friday and on Monday)

Teacher C (Friday and Tuesday)

Teacher Dc (Monday and Wednesday)

Teacher D (Wednesday and Thursday)

Teacher G (Tuesday and Wednesday)

Teacher M (Monday and Thursday)

Teacher My (Tuesday)

Teacher W (Wednesday 2xs)

This past week was actually quite relaxing compared to the schedule coming up.  

Monday:  

6:00 wake up

6:30 work on a handout for the teachers on Educreations (signing up and how to create that initial inspirational message)

7:00 Breakfast (Interview with Teacher G)

7:45 Flag Ceremony (it happens every Monday)

8:00 Observation of Math, C, Form 3

8:45 Interview with C in the Dining Hall  

9:30 Interview with W in the Dining Hall

10:15 Tea Break 

10:30 Interview with M in the Dining Hall

11:15 Interview with C 

12:45 Lunch (head over to Global Platform to check in on that phone)

1:25 Observe History for Form 3 (Teacher M)

2:10 Prep for the PD - Make sure the Agenda copies are made and the Educreations handout is available.

3:50 Observation of Computers, Dc, Form 4

4:35 - 5:45 For Teacher PD

6:00 Dinner

6:30 GHangout with Matteo

7:00 Finish interview with W
7:30 head back 

Work on the syllabus for Foundations

Tuesday

6:30 Wake up 

7:00 Breakfast

7:15 Prep for PD

8:00 Observation of part of Bio, C, Form 3

8:45 Interview with My

10:30 Interview with Dc

12:00 Observation of Biology, My, Form 4

2:10 Observation of G, Math, Form 3

2:55 Prep for PD

4:35 - 5:45 For Teacher PD

6:00 Dinner

6:30 GHangout with Matteo

7:30 head back 

Work on the syllabus for Foundations

Wednesday 

6:30 Wake up 

7:00 Breakfast

7:15 Prep for PD

8:00 Observation of Chemistry, W, Form 3

9:30 Observation of D, PE Form 4

10:30 Interview with D

11:15 Observation of Chemistry, G, Form 4

1:25 Observation of Math, W, Form 2

2:10 Observation of Biology, My, Form 4

3:50 Observation of Computers, Dc, Form 3

4:35 - 5:45 For Teacher PD

6:00 Dinner

6:30 GHangout with Matteo

7:30 head back 

7:45 Pack

Work on the syllabus for Seminar

Thursday

8:00 Observation of Agriculture Form 3

8:45 Observation of History, M, Form 4

9:30 Observation of PE, D, Form 3

10:15 Tea Break

10:30 - 1 Goodbyes, computer stuff 

2pm head to Nairobi to check in for flight

6:30 GHangout with Matteo if I can get a signal.

Work on the syllabus for Seminar

I was just reflecting on the expansiveness of time here.  Still expansive to fit so much and even beyond me, there is much more.  

Travel until Friday, arrive in Milan, rest.  

Finish the Seminar syllabus.  

Work on my Teaching and Learning 1 syllabus on the flights