Yellow House

Visited three school today.. which leaves me with only 3 of the 8 in the Kisumu District left to visit. It's a funny process visiting schools. First you must go to the District Education Officer. THen the head teacher, and then can you visit the classrooms. The meetings are very formal and a little strange. I am introduced by my coordinator, and the DEO or Head Teacher introduces themselves. Then they talk about the school and the importance of the work going on there. How we must look after those with special needs. Then how blessed they are to have me and how they hope they will benefit greatly from my expertise. This can all take a very long time. But it's quite nice. My favorite is when someone asks one of my colleagues something to which there is a negative response (I hope one of the teacher trainers will be from my school?). They never say "no" or disagree, and yet they smooth the situation over so that the person asking surely knows, but yet nothing was said. Amazing. A skill I want to learn. Silas had massive complaint to bring to a headteacher and he did it in the nicest easiest way possible. It was hard to believe we were sitting here talking about a massive infringement of policy!

Anyway. Went to Maseno School for the Deaf, Maseno Mixed School (700 children??) and Lutheran which is nothing short of a zoo. I couldn't stand in the autism class, because apart from the students generally rolling around the place, one boy was scraping a metal plate on the floor to the detriment of everyone's hearing. Clare would not have been pleased as she was working with the teacher this week and clearly this was not what was supposed to be going on. CVolunteer consensus is.. you can change attitudes and change knowledge, changing skills is a whole other kettle of fish.

So. I am done for the day bright and early. Heading home to work on my computer.. program planning.. finishing up things I didn't do in Chicago.. the weekend lays before me. Originally I was supposed to go to a epilepsy clinic, but I am postponing all interaction with the community based rehabilitation organizations until April when the schools are on break. May find myself a swimming pool in this town to lay beside. It is gloriously hot. I wonder if the same establishment will serve cocktails? Apparently the Nyanza club is pretty swank and you can get a day pass. Very very tempting.