Squeals of joy has been the most common sound leaving my mouth these past two weeks, usually followed by excited hugs and mostly uninterpretable shouts of glee. My loves are back. But they’re not back in my classroom. They’ve moved on. They’ve moved to a new grade, a new schedule, new teachers, and some even a new dorm. But they’re still here. It’s a strange … Continue reading THEY’RE BACK! THEY’RE BACK! THEY’RE BACK!
I’ve officially been here in Kenya for one year. Right now, I’m sitting in JKIA Airport in Nairobi, waiting to board a flight to visit family and be in a friend’s wedding back home. I’m not quite sure yet how, but I know this year has changed me. I know this, because this past weekend as I checked out at the cash register of a … Continue reading The Students I love
Today started at 7:00am as I got up a little later than usual since I wasn’t teaching- just giving my final exam. I puttered around my kitchen, pulling out of the fridge the meal I’d prepped the night before, plugging in the crockpot before walking the 100 meters down to my classroom to get things lined up for our year-end final exam. Ten seniors had … Continue reading Living the Dream: Students on the Front Porch
I’ve never liked politics. I’ve always find them divisive and difficult to understand why they make everyone hate each other so much. We’re all working towards the same overall goals, just with different opinions on the best way to achieve them. While I know that statement in and of itself likely has some folks shaking their heads and disagreeing with me, I have found the … Continue reading Politics on Campus… the good kind!
They say that life is one giant balancing actEach day and each task makes this a truer and truer factIt’s easy to see the hard in each dayIgnoring the good things that come your way But these past few weeks that hasn’t been soAs moments with students have made my heart growWe’ve had COVID on campus which has been a big painAnd the season has … Continue reading Living the Dream: Moments of Joy
“Jina langu ni Amy!” I practiced over and over again while working with my new language tutor, Edward… or rather, “Jina lake ni Edward.” When a friend of mine started language lessons, I decided it was time I did too! The kind and gentle man spent our first lesson giving me the history of Swahili, working on introductions and on greetings. On and off for … Continue reading A Personal Anecdote: Piki!
“Home is wherever God is and God is ever with me.” When I walked into the house I would call home for four years in Southfield, MI, this was written in beautiful hand-lettering on a white 2’x4′ canvas, beautifully framed and hung on the main wall in our living room. I pondered this saying often while watching TV, or grading papers from the couch. Then … Continue reading Nyumbani… Home.
I’m sitting on my bed, loads of laundry needing to be done, suitcases needing to be unpacked, lesson plans needing to be prepped and papers needing to be graded. Yet, I think I’d rather spend some time processing… Back in October, we got an email saying, “Who would like to be an interim leader?” This of course meant learning what interim meant… apparently it’s an … Continue reading 14 Students. 2 Leaders. 1 Giant Truck.
Marco Polo is one of my favorite apps for keeping in touch with friends back home. Usually, it’s updates on life, or funny anecdotes we share back and forth… but when I opened one from this particular friend back home, I was met with a different kind of message: “So actually, I am randomly this semester teaching sociology, and one of the things I’m talking … Continue reading Living the Dream: Cross Continent Calls
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love … Continue reading Love.
Faithful Footsteps 