10 days- the final countdown

10 days! That is all the time I have left here in Kenya before I head back to the US. Even though each day is exhausting because students are getting excited for the break, I still cherish each moment with the children in my class. Here are some of the things I learned from my students this year:
1. It is possible to be joyful all the time!
2. How to laugh at myself.
3. That perseverance pays off.
4. That God has a plan for all of us, even if it looks very different from that of most of the rest of the world.
5. That most people have way more insight than we often give them credit for.
6. God has given each of us gifts. Sometimes our gifts don't fit into the boxes we set/others set for us.
7. Even small successes should be celebrated extravagantly!
8. Manners go a long way.
9. True friendships stand the test of trials.
10. LOVE LOVE LOVE- I have given and gotten more love this year than I could have ever imagined.

My students have been my rock this year. They have been the ones keeping me going even when I didn't think I could push any more. They have kept me laughing, comforted me when I was having a bad day, and always reminded me that God was more important than anything else. They have prayed for me, for others, for each other, and for this school. Each one of them is so unique, but together they are a strong group of students. They have overcome more challenges in their 13-17 years of life than I probably will ever have to, but yet they still see life as good. They know God has a plan for them and they aren't afraid to tell others about it. They live out 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in faith, in love, and in purity." I am so proud of this group of students because I know they are going to do great things!

As promised, here is also my list of things I will not miss in Kenya:
- potholes and speed-bumps
- taking twice as long to do everything.
- things never going the way you plan them
- showers that only have two settings- ice and scalding
- power outages and internet problems
- Nakumatt lines.
- Having no street lights at night and people putting on their brights
- Really expensive imported products.
- African illnesses like Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, and Typhoid (and the ones you never find out what they are)
- not having hot water for the sinks and washer
- not being able to hang things on the walls because they are concrete so you have to use blue-tak
- not being able to just run to the store for whatever you need. You have to go to a number of different stores to find the right item...if you ever find it.
- insects- mosquitoes, termites, spiders, Nairobi eye's, millipedes, you name it.
- A4 sized paper
- dust and dirt. It never goes away.
- un-reliable doctors
- having to carry so many keys and open so many doors and gates just to get from my house to my classroom (1 key for house, two for the car, two for the first gate, guards open second and third gate, and two keys to get into my classroom.)
- baking that never turns out how you expect it to.
- Celcius, meters, kilos, and all the things we don't study very much in the US.
- time differences between here and the East coast.
- "Seestah!"
- taking a risk every time you eat or drink anything because it could be contaminated
- being charged Mzungu (white people) pricing because it is assumed that I am rich.
- lack of good ice cream (with the exception of Rolo pops and Mint Crisp pops and raspberry sorbet)
- having to remember the "tricks" for everything because it doesn't necessarily work how it is supposed to.

25 days

In 25 days I will be getting off of a plane in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I will have traveled on three planes, for over 30 hours, across three continents.  This journey has taken me to 3 countries in Africa: Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda. Good thing 3 is my lucky number. :) I have met some amazing people from all around the world and have seen lives changed by love. This year has not been easy for me. I have missed home more this year than I did last year, and a lot of different situations throughout the last 10 months had me ready to hop on a plane home. It was my students, however, that reminded me to relax, learn to laugh every day, and not take life so seriously. I will never forget these four students. They have changed a lot about how I view life.
I was recently at a "transition dinner" where we talked about how to best transition to another place. One of the things they suggested was writing down all of the things you will miss as well as the things you wont miss. So I thought I would post some of my list on here for you to see. Today will be the things I will miss and I will post the things I wont miss in a few days. Here it goes (in no particular order)!

THINGS I WILL MISS:
- My students
- My coworkers and friends
- The children I work with from the orphanage (If I could bring them home, I would!)
- Cheap produce
- Cheap flowers (seriously...a dozen roses for $2.00 ?!)
- The green of the trees and plants
- The way the sky looks enormous and fake
- Being able to see so many stars at night
- Our caretaker, Francis
- Our house-help, Lencer
- Our night guard, David (and the way he wears a parka and mittens even when it isn't cold outside)
- My dog, Ginger, who went to a missionary couple to be taken care of
- Our neighbor's dog, Delta
- The colors all around (fabrics, flowers, and just everything!)
- My housemates and all the fun we have watching tv and cooking and baking
- The amazing animals that I see. Giraffe, zebra, elephants, and lions will never get old!
- Cheap travel to other countries
- A car with awesome petrol mileage
- British/Kenyan English
- Fresh food without preservatives
- My mosquito net (it's like sleeping in a fort every night :) )
- Being around people from all over the world
- The fact that there is something new and exciting every day, even after two years.
- Cheap spas
- Being in a place where people genuinely care to know the answer to "How are you?"
- People who are optimistic, even in the worst circumstances
- Living in a Christian country where you are literally free to share about God with everyone
- Dorman's coffee
- Kenyan fabric (I seriously can't get enough!)
- Our beautiful campus
- Being outside all the time and not trapped in a building.
- The diversity of the landscape in Kenya: beaches, savannas, mountains, big cities, small villages, etc.
- My church and the worship in Swahili
- Cheap travel/excursions
- Kenyan food
- Seeing monkeys all the time
- The intensity of driving (sometimes I wont miss this)
- Getting clothing MADE for like $10
- Having a "guy" for everything and it not being expensive. There is a curtain guy, a washer guy, a dryer guy, a car guy, a veggie guy, a clothing guy, a bead guy, and anything else you can imagine. They are called fundis.
- Cinnamon rolls every Wednesday and doughnuts every Friday.
- The noises that express how students are feeling. "aye!" "Tststs"
- Stepsils- so much better than halls cough drops.
- Medication that you can buy without a prescription for like 1/10th of the price.
- Movies you can BUY for $1
- 3 cents a minute to call the US

South Africa, Spring Break, and Spending Time with Friends

**NOTE- wrote this and then forgot to post it...it was really like 5 weeks ago**

Three weeks ago I had the opportunity to get out of Kenya for a week as I headed to South Africa to be in the wedding of one of my roommates. While I was there I was so excited that I also got to travel to Cape Town to see one of my best friends who is doing missions work there for a few months. For the week I was in South Africa I experienced an entirely different economy and culture than I was used to seeing in Nairobi. I have described to others that South Africa is almost a mixture of Kenya and America. There was a lot of technology, American food (we ate McDonalds 6 times in a week...I'm not proud of that...) and just an overall "easier" way of living. We did have quite a few "we are still in Africa" moments, however, which I will describe in more detail later.

Other than my participation in Jenn's wedding, the main reason for our journey to South Africa was to avoid Nairobi during the Kenyan presidential elections. During the last election, 5 years ago, there was a lot of violence between Kenyans of different tribes and many people died as a result. Although many precautions have been taken in the last year to avoid this happening again, we were still urged to "shelter in place" or leave the country during the week surrounding the election. Thankfully, after almost a month of no final decisions being made, a president was selected on March 31st, and there was very minimal violence.

View from Table Mountain...could it be any more beautiful?!

So back to South Africa. We flew by Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and then down to Johannesburg, South Africa where we met Jenn's fiance, Symps, and her mom and sisters for the first time. Jenn and my other roommate, Pam, went with them, and myself and three others checked into another gate to head to Cape Town. After 3 flights, renting a car, and finding our way to the backpackers lodge we were staying, I got to give one of my best friends from Lancaster, Tina, a HUGE hug! There may have been a few tears in our eyes, but mostly just joy and disbelief that we were in the same town after almost 7 months of not seeing each other. The best part was that I was not only going to spend the next 2 days travelling around Cape Town with her, but also that we were staying only 3 houses away from her, so I could hang out at her place each night and not have to drive a long way home.

On day one we decided to drive to Cape Point, AKA Cape of Good Hope. As we drove along the coast I could not believe how incredibly beautiful Cape Town was. The water was a dark blue and the sky didn't have a single cloud in it! The colors of the flowers, the plants, the white sands, and the ocean were all just so incredible when combined. When we finally got to the point we just stood and looked at the ocean. The wind was blowing incredibly hard, so much so that we could barely hold the camera still. I just stood and took in all that I was seeing. After snapping a few pictures, we decided to head up to the Visitor's Center, which is where the TIA moments started.

Just before the baboon attacked

We were driving to the visitor's center when we saw a beautiful area that we wanted to take a picture of. We stopped the car and rolled the windows down to snap pictures. Tara (who was riding shotgun) decided to take a picture of all of us in the car with her iPhone. She was trying to push the button when all of a sudden Kristin (who was sitting next to me and behind Tara) screamed! We look over to see what she is screaming at, and come face to face with a baboon sitting on her open window. In a matter of seconds the baboon was with us in the car and sitting on the back of Tara's headrest. Jessica screamed and the baboon turned and hissed at her. At that moment we all knew we had to get out of the car. The problem was that I was in the middle, buckled in, and Tara was also buckled in. As soon as Jessica got out, the baboon jumped into her seat which gave Tara and I the chance to escape. As soon as we were out of the car, we all turn to see Kristin scream and run back at the vehicle! She had seen the baboon grab her purse and ran for it. After a very short game of tug-a-war, the baboon won and took off with Kristin's bag. We chased him, threw rocks at him, I may have clapped and stomped at him a few times, and still he kept running. Kristin finally said to just stop and let him look through the bag, so we did. He pulled out her iPod and tossed it to the side, checked how her wallet tasted and tossed that to the side, found a bottle of hand sanitizer which was apple pie scented and tried that (the look on his face was priceless), and finally ended up taking a box of tic-tacs and running away. After gathering all of Kristin's things, including her passport and money, we finally got back in the car and headed to the Visitor's Center. When we arrived, a man says to us  "Hey! You are the girls who were just down there screaming at that baboon! I took pictures!" Too bad we weren't in the right state of mind to ask him to email them to us. It was definitely a TIA moment!

Later that day we went to see the penguins at Simon's Town. There were so many of them! They were awfully cute, but you definitely didn't want to get too close to them or try to pet them. We headed from there to drop Tina at home and then went to Table Mountain. Other than the terrifying gondola ride to the top, it was one of the coolest things I have ever done. It was incredibly breathtaking, and I could have just sat there and looked at all that God had created for days.

The next day we went to Robben Island. For those of you that don't know, this island has a prison on it that held inmates during the aparteid in SA. This is where former SA president, Nelson Mandela, was held at one time. We were able to visit the prison, see Nelson's cell, and even get a tour from a former prisoner who gave us a first hand perspective of life in SA during that time. It was really a neat experience!

Wedding Day! I am all the way to the right.

After our few days in Cape Town I said a sad goodbye to Tina and we headed over to Johannesburg for the wedding. At the rehearsal I finally got to meet Pierre, and friend of Symps' who was going to be the groomsman I walked with at the wedding. We had a great time just laughing and trying to cause problems for everyone, especially with our awesome (or non-existent) dancing skills. We had to dance into the reception hall and this dance was just not our thing, so we had a good time doing our own dance and doing their dance backwards.  At the actual wedding we had a good time just hanging out with everyone and getting to know Jenn and Symps' friends. The wedding was neat because it incorporated American and Xhosa (Symps' tribe pronounced KOsa) traditions. Jenn got to dress in traditional Xhosa garb and went through a naming ceremony where there was a lot of dancing a chanting and fun stuff. She got named Nozuko which meant "With Glory." The wedding was beautiful and we loved everything about SA. We thought about staying forever, but the next day we had to head back to Kenya and normal life.

What missions teaching life is really like

6:00am- alarm clock rings and you hit the snooze a few times

6:30am- roll out of bed and pray there is electricity, or you aren't taking a shower today. 

7:00am- If only sweatpants could be worn to work....I mean...how much more modest can you get?!
7:30am- breakfast on the go as you run out the door. Note to self- wake up earlier tomorrow

7:33am- pull into the school parking lot and wave to the guard to thank him for letting you in

7:45am- staff devotions/prayer time

8:05am- finish your breakfast and drink cup of tea #1

8:25am- greet your students as they make their way to their seats.

8:30am- wish you had another cup of tea
8:30-10am- Teach about anything and everything (math, life, language arts, why you don't need a boyfriend at the age of 13, social studies, science lesson on why you can't eat food that is expired by a month and a half, writing, and back to why you shouldn't date at the age of 13. Oh the joys of teaching middle school!).

10:00am- finally, cup of tea #2 and snack time

10:20am- back to teaching (ask God to give you the right words to say today). Have students pray for post-elections to be peaceful.
12:10pm- LUNCH! You mean I get 20 minutes to eat uninterrupted?!

12:15pm- "My lunch doesn't taste right, so I am not eating it!"...spend the rest of your lunch trying to find something else for your student to eat. Note to self- don't eat the extra snacks you keep hidden for students who don't like lunch.

1:00pm- try to find something interesting to teach to keep your students awake from the post-lunch exhaustion (Pray that you can also stay awake...note to self...don't have reading after lunch.) At least one student probably wont feel well because that is the nature of living in Africa...Note to self- become a nurse.

1:45pm- send three to classes and go to "help" a student with computer class...I say "help" because the student already knows more than I do... "Miss Geist...you have never used an iPad before, have you?"

2:30pm- make sure students are in their respective classes and come back to classroom to have a heart to heart with two students who aren't getting along. Counseling time!

3:05pm- write in homework books, pack the bags, give high fives/fist bumps, send them out the door, and take a deep breath.

3:30pm- check mailbox, return mug to the kitchen wishing you had had a third cup of tea because you are exhausted and still have meetings and work galore. 

3:45pm- do anything number of things including: parent meetings, staff meetings, collaborative planning with regular ed teachers, get computer tutorial for next class so you look like you know what you are doing, worship practice, or grading/lesson planning. Note to self- find a personal assistant

4:30/5:00pm- Try to make it home in time to eat dinner with the "family" (AKA the 5 other people I live with)

6:00pm- everyone gives up on work and decides to watch a TV show or movie. Hopefully nothing that will remind us of home. Some people skype with friends/family at home, some search pinterest for recipes we might be able to make with limited ingredients. Note to self- send care packages next year to friends here in Kenya and skype with them at least once a week... missionary life can be very lonely.

9:00pm- Missionary Midnight. By this point your brain no longer functions and you just want to go to bed.

11:00pm- Finally go to bed. Pray for a good night's sleep because you have another long day to face tomorrow! Note to self- go to bed earlier tomorrow....

"I think I'll try defying gravity..."

There have been a few times in my life where I stopped and thought "Am I really here? Is this seriously happening? I must be dreaming!" Most of those times have involved traveling to places that I would have never dreamed I would have had the opportunity to see. A few weeks ago I went on safari with my parents, another teacher from my school, and her fiance. As we were driving, the other people in the car laughed at me because I kept saying "There is no way these creatures are real. They are animatronic or something." In reality, I was just amazed at how incredibly beautiful, giant, and graceful these creatures were. This has happened other times throughout my life to, but a few weeks ago topped any experience I have ever had. Have you ever had that sudden realization of everything falling together in a way you would have never imagined it? That happened to me that week. Just over three weeks ago, on a Friday, the choir director at our school came up to me, with excitement bursting from every part of her, to tell me that she had just been asked to sing "Defying Gravity" to the one and only Steven Schwartz, who happened to be in Nairobi teaching a Master's class at another American school. Now, if you are like 75% of the people I have run into since that day, you have no idea who this man is, but you should. Steven Schwartz is an award winning composer and lyricist. He has won numerous awards for his works. He composed and wrote the lyrics for the Broadway shows "Wicked", "Godspell", "Pippin", and "Children of Eden", among others. He has written the lyrics for all of the songs in "Pocahontas", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and "Prince of Egypt." He has many other works, but even from this short list, you can see how incredibly talented this man is. Now flash back about 10 years. I had just started high school at Hempfield. I enjoyed listening to music, and had always loved going to the Fulton Opera House to see shows. I was part of a girl scout troop at the time (and am still a lifetime scout!) and we decided to take a trip to New York to see a Broadway show. When we arrived, our leaders told us that they had gotten us tickets to a new show that had just opened called "Wicked." They said it was the prequel to "The Wizard of Oz." We all thought this was going to be the most boring show ever, but boy were we wrong! We came home raving about the incredible set, the beautiful singing, the amazing music, and the extraordinary acting skills of the cast, which included Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. Within a year, "Wicked" hit it it big and has been the top show on Broadway for the last 10 years. Over the next few years of high school I was convinced by a friend to join the Hempfield Dance Theatre program. I had never taken a dance lesson in my life, but somehow made it through auditions and into the show. I danced for the last three years of high school and was also cast in a school play and a school musical. These three experiences gave me a love for theater that I can't even express. It brings me so much joy to watch a program come together over just a few months, to watch students practice until they are void of energy because they have shown the audience every emotion through dance and facial expression, and to listen to directors give timeless advice about acting, singing, and performance.  That brought me to a few weeks ago. That week I got asked to chaperone the middle and high school choirs from our school as they went to the Master's class taught by Steven Schwartz. What an opportunity! I walked into that auditorium literally jumping up and down with the other chaperone, who happened to also be a theater nerd like myself. The students we were with just stared at us blankly, clearly not understanding the enormity of the experience they were about to get. When we took our seats, a man from the US embassy walked up and introduced not only Steven Schwartz, but also a young man named Michael Rose, the newest member of the New York production of "Wicked." Over the next few hours, we listened as many different people, including our choir director from West Nairobi School, sang some of Steven's songs, and he gave constructive criticism. As I sat there, I had that moment; The one where it all comes together. Some of the people were singing, and I leaned over a whispered some things to the other chaperone who was with me, about improvements that could be made. I was observing the performances as if I was sitting at the dress rehearsal of a Hempfield show. All of these tips given to me by directors and choreographers over the years came flooding back, and I was making mental notes about what was being performed. The surprise came when Steven walked up to give suggestions and many of the same things I had made notes of were things he told the performer. Now, I always knew that I had received a quality academic education at Hempfield. Many things I have done since graduation have proven that to me. I knew that our theater productions were incredible, and I knew that I had learned a lot from my teachers, directors, and choreographers, but I never anticipated having learned so much that a Master's class taught by one of the best in the business would be comprised of things I had already learned and had drilled into me. That day I became even more thankful for the people who inspired me back in High School to leave it all on the stage, dance from my heart, sing with joy, and give everything I have to performing. Thank you to those people, you know who you are!

The countdowns begin!

Do you live your life always looking ahead to the next thing? I know I do. Unfortunately, even though I try really hard to live in the moment, I am a planner at heart and am always looking ahead to see what the future holds and attempt to prepare myself for it. The next few months for me are filled with things I have been planning for months, and they are quickly approaching. During the first week in March I will be travelling to South Africa to visit with a close friend who has just gone there to do a few months of missions work. I am so looking forward to seeing her and giving her a huge hug! While I am there I will also be a bridesmaid in the wedding of another close friend who happens to be one of my roommates here in Kenya. This week will be quite the adventure I am sure! We decided to take this trip to avoid being in Kenya during the elections for fear of post-election violence. Along with some other things I have planned during this semester at school, I am also planning for June.
In November I asked many of you to pray for me as I made a decision about whether or not I would renew my contract here in Kenya next year. After much prayer and consideration of other things that I need to do, like work on my Level 2 teaching certificate, I have decided not to return to West Nairobi School next fall. I have loved living in Kenya, and definitely see myself coming back here again some day, either to visit or to live for a while again. I will be returning to Lancaster in June and am still unsure as to what I will be doing once I get there. I have many options at this point, but will keep you all updated when I make decisions.
So in other words, the countdowns begin! Although I have not actually started counting down the number of days to the end of the school year, I have started a countdown to South Africa which is 28 days from today. As I said before, I try my hardest to live in the moment, and am doing my best to remember that my students need me here and now, and aren't thinking about next year, or even next week (although they are excited that Fasnacht Day is coming up since I have decided to introduce this very important holiday to them :) ). I am, however, preparing for moving back to live with my parents and getting re-acclimated to a culture that, although was once very familiar, now seems a little foreign to me. I ask that you be praying with me as I wrap things up here in the next few months, say my goodbyes to people who have become a major part of my life, and go through the culture shock of all that is America.

Prayer Requests:
- Continued health of our staff at our school. I emailed many of you to ask for prayers, and things are going ok for now. Thanks for continued prayers!
-For another missionary friend who is in need of financial support. She lost some supporters and is in need of quite a lot of money in order to stay on the field.
-For other friends who are going into missions or have just started missions all over the world!
- For direction for me for what to do next.

Verse of Encouragement:
2 Corinthians 13:11- "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."