When technology is too much

When was the last time you checked your email? Sent a text? Looked at a website? In the past 15-20 years, our society has become so engrossed in technology that we have not only come to depend on it, but we have become addicted. Much like an alcoholic going through withdrawal, I have witnessed children, and adults alike, become visibly disturbed and upset by the loss of connection by way of technology.
I grew up spending many hours of my summer in the woods with my family. I spent days learning about trees, animals, rivers, and hiking, and my evening around a campfire learning how to cook, build shelters, make a fire for survival, and communicate with my friends and family. I didn't have a computer until I was 12 years old, and since then, have never been without technology for longer than a few days ever again.
These days I spend more than 12 hours a day on a computer, and honestly, I crave that escape that I used to have as a child. I spend family time sitting in a circle looking up information on phones and iPads rather than around a campfire telling stories. So when and how do we decide when technology is too much?
More and more, schools are going to a one-to-one program with technology for our students. While this can often help students experience a world that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to, it also puts us in a position to sometimes not allow students to build important communication and interpersonal skills. While I see the amazing benefits of technology in schools, I also always try to take a step back and think about how much is too much. Am I just using technology to say that I can, or is it really benefitting my students in a way they could not learn otherwise. I encourage you to ask your self the same the next time you are lesson planning. When is technology too much?

Is it your ministry or your job?

"Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure."

4 weeks can change your life it you let it. My roommate, Jenn, once told me that you can do anything for a month. At the time I didn't take her seriously because we were doing a Kenyan diet that lacked any kind of variety and flavor. But sure enough, that month flew by quickly and we not only survived, but we came out of it with a better understanding of the Kenyan culture. I say these things because sometimes what we think we are getting ourselves into ends up being completely different from God's plan. We can force ourselves to make it through a month of an "ordeal", or we can enjoy the adventure God has planned for us! My first trip to Kenya in 2010 proved that. Who would have thought that a 2 week journey would turn into a lifelong love for a culture, that, until that point, I knew absolutely nothing about. This trip to Africa was no different. I may have already known and loved the culture, but it doesn't mean I didn't still grow.

When I left Kenya last year, I didn't know if it was the right decision. I knew I needed a break, but would a summer off have been enough to allow me to go back and enjoy a third year? I will never know the answer to that question. What I do know is that I spent a year perseverating on the idea that I may have made a mistake in moving back to the US. I had a fear that returning to Africa this year could make those ideas become reality and that I would actually resent the decision to go rather than enjoy it. In short, my trip this summer initially compounded those ideas, but eventually gave me closure in areas that I previously didn't have it. 

I spent my first week in Nairobi with my good friend Anne. That week was an emotional one for me. I really enjoyed getting to see my friends and former students, and we had a great time in fellowship and praising God for all of the good things he has done since we last saw each other. But, as the week went on, I was dreading leaving these close relationships all over again. This was my comfort zone, and I was going to be ripped out of it again and thrown into another year of fighting to fit in. Through this struggle, God taught me something. The blessings over the last year that we had spent hours praising God for would not have been possible without my having moved back to the US. If anything, our friendships grew more in the year that I was away because I was taken out of my comfort zone and forced to grow as a person. I didn't have a lot of time to process all of this, and honestly still am trying to figure it all out. But I do know that I was able to return to the US more excited about a new year than I initially was. 

Me and my buddy Daniel :)

Monkeys in our yard.... 

I left Nairobi only a week after my arrival in Kenya (which felt like a day) and headed out to Alendu to see what adventures awaited me there. The morning of my departure to Alendu I fell very ill from the malaria medication I was taking. I went to see my old doctor in Nairobi and she gave me some medicine to help me feel well enough to travel. Myself and Angela, the other member of my team, were greeted in Kisumu by Roger and Amanda, an intern for Rafiki. We did some quick shopping and then headed to the village. The 12 days I was in the village seemed to fly by faster than my one week in Nairobi. Our main goal for the trip had been to do professional development for the teachers. Although that changed when we got there, I was so blessed by the time I got to spend with some incredible educators. I think I learned more from them than they learned from me to be honest. I am on the education committee for Rafiki, so I ended up spending a lot of my time figuring out what we needed to do to help the school both short term and long term. You will be getting emails later this fall from me about some of the short term and long term goals we are working on.

Students at LHA praying before leaving school for the day

My time at Lighthouse Academy was incredible, and I met some students who are ready to be world-changers. My time in Alendu, however, did not just involve working at the school. I had an experience this trip that I will never be able to fully explain in words. In the weeks leading up to my arrival in the village, Amanda had started to befriend the Masaai guards who worked on our compound. The Masaai culture has intrigued me since I first visited Kenya. They are a nomadic tribe that lives very primitively. They are cattle and goat farmers mostly, but many take jobs as guards because they are well known for their protection capabilities. As a rite of passage, Masaai boys must kill a lion with only a spear and a club. You can see why they make amazing guards! The interesting thing is that they keep their lives very private. 

beautiful place we visited!

There have been books and documentaries written about them, but most of the time they just keep to themselves. Many can only speak the Masaai language with a few being able to also speak Kiswahili. We were blessed enough to have a Masaai guard who had been educated and was also able to speak English! Evidently, education of  the Masaai children is becoming more common, but until this point I had never met a Masaai who spoke English this well. Because Amanda had started to form a friendship with this Masaai and the other guards, they agreed one night to have a "Cultural Exchange" with us. It was an open question forum. They could ask us anything, and we could ask them anything. After 3 hours of talking (and translating), we learned so much more about the Masaai culture than I can even begin to write on here. If you want to hear about it, meet me for lunch sometime and I will tell you! The amazing things was that they enjoyed our conversation so much that they suggested we continue it for two more nights.

the crew at Masaai Market

At the end of it all, they thanked us. When we asked why they would thank us when they were the ones answering the questions, they replied "Because most people would ask us questions so that they could judge us for the way we live. You just asked questions and accepted us for who we are." Wow... can we say strike to the heart right there? We, as Christians, are often told to love people where they are at. How many times though, do we immediately tell someone what is wrong with them and how Jesus can fix it? What if we just stopped and listened rather than making them feel guilty for how they are living their lives? Just think about that for a while and let me know if you wanna talk about it :) In the end, we were invited to someday come stay with these men and their families to learn more about their culture. We are trying to figure out a way for that to actually happen. I will never forget that experience!

So after my three weeks in Kenya were up, I travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to see Jenn and Symps. I was sad to leave Kenya knowing that it would be at least a year until I could return, but like I said previously, I had more closure this time, and I was really looking forward to seeing Jenn! I was greeted by FREEZING cold temperatures in South Africa. It is winter there right now, so some nights it was down in the 30s with no heat inside the buildings. During the day it was a little better and we could stand out in the sun to warm up. My first day there I went with Jenn to visit Symps at work and get a tour of their church. Symps is a pastor at a church that is affiliated with the same bible college as my sending church in the US. It is cool to see how similar they are on opposite sides of the world! That day I was invited to join staff devotions led by their head pastor. He spoke on harmony makers/killers. It was a great message. The one main point I took from it was "Are you treating this as your ministry or your job?" That has been on my mind ever since he said it. I think because, yes, we all have to have a job to survive and be able to provide for ourselves and our families, but why can't we view it as a ministry all the time? I have done book studies that have discussed this before, but for some reason God really put it on my heart to really learn it this year. Maybe I should be preparing for a group of students who will really need some prayer, I don't know, but I am going to make it my "mission" this year to make my job my ministry. 

Jenn and I at the Apartheid Museum

The second day we went to Oriental Plaza and the Apartheid Museum. I really enjoyed the museum and could have spent days in there reading all of the information about Nelson Mandela and all of the other leaders who worked to end the apartheid in SA. My third day in SA we awoke bright and early to head out on safari in Kruger National Park. I really enjoyed the 6 hour drive out to the park because I got to see a lot of the South African landscape. It was beautiful! Symps' friend Simba came with us and we just enjoyed a relaxing 3 days. We were sad to head home to Jo-burg. I have a ton of pictures, but will post just a few of my favorites here for you.  

All of us in front of the Paul Kruger statue

Symps and Simba did a SA Brai (BBQ) for us.

On my last day in SA, we went to Mandela Square just to see a few touristy things before heading to the airport for my flight. It was bittersweet to leave Jenn and Symps and head home to my family. 

Overall this trip was very healing for me. I got to spend time with people I really care about and also got some closure that I needed, as well as some much needed relaxation. I let the 4 weeks change and grow me. I still will always have the itch to travel, it's just what makes me who I am. I know this blog post was very general, but I honestly could not even begin to write everything on here. You would never have time to read it! If you want to hear more about my trip, please ask to meet up with me. I will gladly share more! I will be planning more education trips to the village in the future, so if you have an interest in joining a trip, please let me know! There are also medical trips, women's development trips, construction, and agricultural trips as well if any of those sound more up your alley. 

VERSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT:

"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

PRAYER REQUESTS:

- For the start of a new school year (for parents, students, teachers, administration, etc)

- For God to remind me of all that I learned on this trip. 

- For healing for our family dog (she tore her ACL in her knee while I was away and had to have surgery twice.)

Fernweh

"You will never be completely at home again because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of living and loving people in more than one place."- Miriam Adeney

I recently learned a new German word: Fernweh. Like many words in other foreign languages, there is not an exact translation of this word into English. It is similar to the term wanderlust. The word is described as meaning the opposite of homesickness. It is an ache or longing for a distant place, and a craving to travel.
The last year has felt like a roller coaster ride. It is hard to explain all of the emotions that are felt when returning to your home country after living abroad. It's been one year since I packed up my life in Kenya and moved back to the United States without any plan for what to do next. The first few months back in Lancaster were the hardest for me to cope with. I was stressed about not having a full time job, overwhelmed by the fast paced culture I returned to, and emotionally and mentally drained from trying to fit back into a place where I didn't necessarily feel like I belonged anymore. Although I have mostly adapted to living back in the United States, the feeling of Fernweh has not left me. There are days when I have spent hours looking at pictures and researching travel sites to find out how much it would cost to just hop on a plane that day and fly back to Africa.
In one week, I will finally fulfill that itch to travel. I will be be traveling back to Kenya for three weeks and then visiting South Africa for one week. I will spend the first week in Nairobi visiting with friends that I haven't seen for a year. I am very much looking forward to a week of just enjoying time with people without the hustle and bustle that we often experience here in the US. After my short stay in Nairobi, I will be heading out to the village of Alendu to work with the teachers of Lighthouse Academy. Myself and one other teacher from the US will be doing some teacher training and professional development through Rafiki Africa Foundation. In the village, I am most looking forward to building connections with the teachers at LHA and learning how to best help them achieve their goals for their students.
After my two weeks in Alendu I will be traveling down to South Africa for one week to visit Jenn, one of my former roommates in Kenya, and her husband Symps. I am looking forward to just spending some quality time with them, probably playing Canasta and baking/eating :)

For those of you who don't know the updates of my life from this past year, here is a quick summary:
I taught 7th grade math learning support this year in a small district about a 30 minute commute from my home. A few weeks ago I found out I would be transferred to teach 5th grade general education next year. I am looking forward to the new challenge but will really miss the people I worked with at the middle school. Since returning to the US I have not settled on attending one church on the weekends. There are 3 different churches that I have attended pretty regularly, but haven't fully connected anywhere. The church I had been going to before I left was a bit too large and overwhelming when I first returned to the US.  Coming from a church of approximately 100 people in Kenya, to a church of a couple thousand in the US was too much for me in those initial weeks of transition. You can be praying that I find a community where I feel like I fit soon. I did spend one day a week this year helping out with a middle school youth group and have loved getting to know the students and other leaders. Other than that I have pretty much just been hanging out and enjoying time with my family.
I want to thank all of you again for the support given to me throughout my 2 years in Kenya. I could not have been there without your prayers and support. If you ever find yourself wondering what it might be like to travel to Africa, give me a call. You would have to try really had to get me to turn down a trip :)

Pictures and stories will be posted after my month long journey through Africa, so check back in early August! :)

Verse of Encouragement:
"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."- Proverbs 16:9

Prayer Requests:
- Safety in my travels
- Peace in Kenya (There has been a lot of violence in the last year)
- For me to find a home church
- For the education training we will be doing in the village

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....