It's over!

Saturday 11th June 2011


Well, that’s it, it’s over. I can’t quite believe where the time has gone in the 11 months since I left.

It is fair to say that this has been the most amazing year of my life... so far ..... (ha, ha.... ever the optimist!!).

The hardest bit of it though has been saying good bye to the children at Precious, although really played it down. I explained to standard 6 that they were the reason I was staying in Kenya, and that I would be back to coach them once a week from September, but the look on their faces was very hard to deal with. It took me back to last year when I left Francis Combe, and how young people can look at you in such a way that makes you feel that you are really letting them down. Aagh!! I bought them a pencil case each, individually labelled, filled with all the basics (pens [blue, black, red], pencil, rubber, sharpener, ruler) with a message inside from me that basically said ‘read, write, and speak English’. My last few lessons with them were amazing (hey, not that my lessons aren’t normally amazing I hasten to add!) but their confidence now to read, write and speak English is just unbelievable..... they have come so far since January when I took over a class that was basically mute and were used to copying work. I even have some of them now developing an English sense of humour..... sorry kids, please forgive me! Wonderfully, their final swimming lesson (next to benefit are standard 5 at Precious, and also some kids from Olives) was awesome!...... Can’t believe I used that word, but then I have been surrounded by Americans on the project who use ‘awesome’ to describe the most mundane event. But trust me, standard 6 were awesome, in its true meaning. I think they all must have had an epiphany in the final week, as ALL of them swum at least one length of the pool in the last lesson. Needless to say, lots of whooping and screams of delight from me... new life maybe as a swimming teacher?

Despite the agony of saying goodbye and handing standard 6 over to another volunteer, it has been so, so worthwhile. The children here, who have absolutely no idea what exists in the world outside of their tough and basic lives, are the happiest and most contented I have ever come across. The sheer excitement and enthusiasm that they generate from every small thing that makes a tiny difference to their lives is both refreshing and very humbling. It has been a truly life changing experience teaching out here, and one that I am so glad I took the leap to do after so many years of talking about ‘doing it’.

I look back on ‘my year’ and am satisfied that in some small way, I have made a difference to all the kids at Precious (and Olives) as they are all benefitting from better structured teaching, a grammar programme and testing that is really helping us to ensure that we can track progress, and each school is now resourced with text books and reading books (thank you again for the donation money – now virtually all spent). And for me to have made the decision to stay so that I can ensure that the progress continues and can have a hand in shaping the possibilities for the children’s futures gives me immense satisfaction. I really hope that some of these kids will make it to high school, but even if they don’t, I know I will have tried, and I do know that their English is so much better than if I hadn’t been here and their life chances, just by being able to communicate more confidently in English, are greatly enhanced. Maybe the benefits won’t be seen with this generation, but maybe, just maybe when they become the next parents, they will really value education, will be able to speak to their children in English, will be able to read and write with their children....and maybe a small step will have been made towards giving this wonderful community a chance to have more choices in how their lives play out.

Enough... getting emotional here!

So everything else.... well now this is ‘my time’.... new music being learnt for choir and instrumental group... oh by the way, the instrumental group were apparently a real hit with the audience and we have had a few requests to do another concert.... but just us this time, so planning an afternoon ‘soiree’ at some point in the autumn. I still haven’t got my divemaster books off the shelf, but planning to finish that in the next few weeks. I need to properly finish the grammar programme, but hopefully will be ably assisted by Michele (volunteer and pal from last year who is coming here for a 2 week holiday in July)...... in between lots of catching up, and the resumption of the famous ‘ladies do lunch’! I am also likely to pop down to South Africa for a final treat of my ‘gap year’ to catch up with friends made on the Seychelles part of my trip, as well as good friends in Cape Town. And then back to UK for most of August.... I will be staying at Chris and Fiona’s house (doing their garden in return for free lodging!) and trying to see as many people as possible. Then back here to start work at posh school.... mmmmm... think I may need to have a few lessons myself in not reacting to children who are at the complete opposite end of the scale to Precious kids in terms of life chances/upbringing/opportunity etc etc, and learn how to keep a poker face when listening to the issues that the parents will have..... I will just have to keep reminding myself that the reason I am staying and teaching at posh school is so that I can get visa, work permit etc so I can stay around for the kids at Precious.... I can do it!

And finally, this blog ..... the general consensus seems to be that a lot of you still enjoy reading it, and I think you can tell that I really like writing it..... so the blog will continue! I have no idea how to change the name of the blog, and certainly no idea how to set up another one, so ‘nickysyear’ will become truly Kenyan and become an indefinite year that reflects exactly how Kenyan, minutes, hours, days, weeks are all so much longer than the same in the western world!