First week in the teaching placements

Greetings! Based on the news coming out of Kenya these days, I’m sure that some friends and family may be worried about us, and I believe a few words of reassurance can go a long ways. We are in a very safe area of Kenya, and our group is all doing very well.

What I most want to write about here is our brilliant students. I have been visiting them in their new host communities all this week and have seen that they are acting as true ambassadors of the best qualities of our American Culture. They are showing initiative, humility, collaboration, and respect of their host families and schools. They have been proving their skills in teaching and leadership by courageously diving into the classrooms of all these rural Kenyan Secondary Schools. They are increasingly problem solvers and are creative, persistent and tough in conditions far different from home. I am proud and impressed with each and every one, as you will be also once they are home to tell you all they have accomplished in these few short months!

Given all that we have done thus far, I could not have asked for a more mature, cooperative, respectful nor fun group of young people. They have embraced the challenges of a demanding construction project, language barriers and culture shock, climbing a formidable peak of Uganda, and the learning opportunity inherent in the dynamic security situation playing out in Kenya over the past week.

It has truly been an honor to be the leader for these students, and we look forward to completing our program in the safest and most logical and harmonious way possible. Stay tuned for photos from the villages!