Yellow House

Saturday February 17th, 2007

Friday night was fabulous. Actually as I previously mentioned my day was pretty good, and it continued that way.

So work… In the morning I went to the special education “resource” room to meet with the teachers. They had previously brought their 8 students to the assessment center one Wednesday. This is our assessment day, so people come from far and wide and it’s fairly mad. We pointed out that seeing as we were located on the same campus, perhaps it would be more appropriate to see the students a different day when we had more time. So. Silas and I headed over to see what it was that the teacher wanted.

Sometimes I get so mad. So internally mad. Not often, but my blood was boiling on Friday and all the venom was directed at one person. This teacher is a trainer for the Kenya Institute for Special Education, he is experienced and apparently is a very knowledgeable man, but basically he is so busy working in Uganda and doing a plethora of other things that his 8 charges do next to nothing. This class is made up of a mix of children all with moderate to profound special needs. Their scheduled school day is only 3 ½ hours long (a bit like Chicago public schools- ha!), yet they board on campus. Term has been going for 6 weeks, but per the teacher he was waiting for us to assess the children so he could know where they are functioning. Bullshit. It is firmly within his realm of responsibilities to baseline his kids at the beginning of the term, some of whom have been at the school for 6 fucking years and have files of pretty impressive length for Kenya. Anyway, so I start to help hgim and his assistant with the assessment and what we are going to do for program planning and he has the audacity to leave and go and meet with someone else. I basically gave him a very polite “I know you are busy, but I am extraordinarily busy and if you don’t want my help, I will leave” speech. Silas was so impressed. Maybe my diplomacy skills are growing by leaps and bounds. (I really just wanted to make him feel thoroughly ashamed for being so neglectful). I also asked him and his assistant give me three strengths and three areas for growth on each child by next Friday and we collected a baseline portfolio sample of the kids written work. But the thing is.. he knows all this, he just doesn’t care. He has better things to do. On a positive note, if the lovely assistant Leonard is doing all the work anyway, perhaps we can boost his skill level. It’s just going to be hard not to be shirty with the teacher who rocks up mid morning and leaves his children to sit and play with themselves. But it was good. The kids are always great. One of the girls is covered in burns but she can get a bilabial seal and can move her mouth/jaw though as she gets older I wonder if the flesh is going to cause oral mobility issues. The burns are so bad she now has a couple of nubs for fingers. Sad.

Anyway. My stroke client also came in, and both her and her husband are delightful, so even though I try to avoid working with adult clients wherever possible, they snuck into my tightly barricaded schedule and we are working on a communication book. I’ll see her weekly when I am in town..

So.. the afternoon was spent having a delightful lunch, doing some computer work and going to the pool. In the evening my houseguests and I met up with the two Peace Corps volunteers I had met through some Dutch doctors in Mumias. The group turned out to be massive. Perhaps 20 of us, and we met for drinks and then at 9pm went to the Simba Club for an Indian buffet. Now, I know I am prone to exaggeration, but this meal was one of the best I have ever eaten in my life. I can’t tell you how fantastic is was.. but I wil try. For about $6 there was a vast array of vegetarian curries and chutneys and everything was mouth watering and amazing. The chilli fish was definitely in the top five things I have ever put in my mouth! It was absurd just how good it was. Unfortunately I ate so much, I couldn’t go out dancing afterwards, and had to abandon drinking entirely.

I also met a couple of girls that live in Kisumu that could be decent company, and a Peace Corp guy that lives very close to me in Migosi. I also met a Canadian girl who is north west of Kisumu towards one of my districts and I liked her immensely and think/hope we can be friends. I also saw a boy across the room and fell in love. Small, dark and handsome. Ha. No. shame really.

So I am enroute to Nairobi. Reading “Jamaica Inn” by Daphne DuMaurier- finally- thanks Liz! Tonight I am going out for Claire’s birthday in the city. My houseguests have their own accommodations and plans and then head into Tanzania. That’s the thing about houseguests, it’s lovely when they come, lovely when they go.