The Rich-Gerstles' Kenyan Adventures: An Update from Zoe

Here are some more snapshots from my (Zoe) time at Chogoria Girls High School.

I spent the night last Friday to see what it was like. I’m pretty sure the whole school knew that I was staying and lots and lots of them came to visit Sharon’s room, which was only supposed to hold 6 people. I brought them American granola bars which tasted very sweet to them, and also playing cards because I had brought them previously but was not allowed to use them (school rules). So I waited to bring out both the cards and the snacks until I got to Sharon’s room. Most of my friends had never played cards so I taught them several games as well as how to shuffle. I was wondering how everyone was going to find their way back to their own rooms at 9:30 when the lights went out, but they assured me that they had torches. I was a little worried but later I found out that is what they call flashlights. J We stayed up pretty late talking and then woke up at 4:30am, which was later than usual because it was a Saturday and they only had to go to class at 5:30. Much to everyone’s amusement, I took a cold bucket shower just like everyone else. I asked them wasn’t it cold having wet hair at 4:30 in the morning? But they informed me that they only wash their hair when they are home which is about every 6 weeks! It is pretty amusing how often the topic of hair comes up in my daily conversations J

One of the first questions everyone asks me is which church I go to, to which I answer I am Jewish. I am usually met by blank stares, not unlike those I sometimes get in TC. But after they get over the shock, most Kenyans are very curious in what that means and what I believe in. I told one girl that Judaism allows God to be thought of as male or female so she responded “Do you believe Jesus can be male or female too?” It was a logical question for her to ask but it was really funny- I have certainly never thought about that!

I was getting a tour from the head girl about a week ago and she was telling me about punishments students get from misbehaving. We looked down from her classroom across the courtyard and saw about 40 girls crawling along the pavement. I asked who it was and she replied, “Oh, that’s your class!” When I went back to my own class I asked what they had done to deserve the punishment. It turns out they were “making noise”. The principal who was walking by told them to crawl down the 2 flights of stairs, across the very large courtyard, and back up! Later I was talking to a friend, Audrey, who said that on my 1^st day at school the English teacher came into class with a hard plastic pipe (from a Bunsen burner), meaning to use it to hit the students because of something they had previously done but as soon as he saw me, he hid it. Audrey and I realized it was not coincidental that the only time her class has been punished was when I was not with them. There have been numerous other times when my class has done something that is cause for punishment but they get off the hook- I guess because the teachers don’t want me to see that aspect of school. I told my friends that it is very hard for me to see the teacher physically punishing the students (hitting their arms or pinching ears) but they told me that it is normal for them and not a big deal. We decided it is just one of those cultural differences that can be hard for outsiders to understand. I told them about adoption and they were appalled that any woman would, and was allowed to give her child away.

Today, my whole family went to my school after their church service, which lasted 6 ½ hours, to take pictures of my class and me in our uniforms. They loved meeting my family and taking lots of pictures!

I know almost every girl’s name in my class (of 43) and have become good friends with about 5 of them. We have all exchanged FB names and emails and plan on keeping in touch!

At a boys school!