My first trip out..
January 20, 2008 at 7:00 am 10 comments
hello again, today I’m on my way to a meeting in mombasa, all of the volunteers in the coast province are meeting there, so thats most of the people left here. yesteday most of the volunteers from western, nyanza and rift valley went home, to the US. this is all but 5 or 6 of my training group. so, today is my first time leaving the village in a while, i would be lying if i said i wasn’t a bit nervous to go to mombasa, however, i am also excited, i know pizza is avaliable there, haha. today its raining which sucks because i left my jacket at my house, but is good because i’ve noticed even looters and rioters stay in when its raining. this week ODM as “Mass Action” which mean three days straight of rallies in 41 locations across kenya. i am fairly certain the police fired tear gas at all of these rallies, and i suspect bullets at some. although ODM should fight for what they believe in, it does not seem that either group is realizing the consequences of their actions, or inaction. the longer this goes on the more it will hurt the average kenyan. anyway, i saw the headline today says “ODM calls for more rallies” so hopefully these are the last, somehow i doubt it.
school opened also. school is a major challenge. The students do not speak english very well, and even those who do will need time to get used to my accent. I also am struggling with an extremely under stocked lab. i wanted to do a physics demo and i needed like 5 things, an the lab had about 1 of them. i depend on drawing on the board a lot, but really i wonder how much the students are understanding. anyway, the staff is great, although one teacher is from western and we don’t expect he will be able to travel to school fo quite some time. as much as i found school hard it wasnice to be busy also, december got too long, but the last week really flew by. ok, well i’m off to mombasa now, talk ot you all soon.
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1.
MOM | January 20, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Hi Bob!
It was nice to hear your voice today. We are hoping tha PC has some answers for you. I know you will be smart. Remember, no matter what happens, no matter what decision you make, we support you. As much as we would love to have you here, we know how much you are hoping to make this successful. Please be safe and smart. We love you! Mom and Dad
2.
Mary | January 20, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Hi Bob,
I really hope that they are able to get things worked out politically because it sounds like with more supplies and a better environment you will really enjoy your teaching experience there.
I hope that things go well in Mombasa today; Dad said that you weren’t able to get any pizza after all so hopefully you aren’t too bummed out over that
Things here in VA are good, it actually snowed last night ( a dusting but enough to send everyone into a panic…). We look forward to hearing how things go today and will talk soon. Love you!
Love, Mary
3.
Eileen | January 21, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Well, I am hoping that your trip to Mombasa went without a hitch (despite no pizza!). It must be frustrating not to have the equipment you need to teach…but just remember that anything you can give thee kids will be appreciated. They will love you for your efforts. How many students did you end up with? My first class was 24…there were times I felt that I was only really reaching about two thirds of them, especially in my first year. But they all survived, and so did I! They were all reading by June..and in first grade that is the test point!
Everyone here is excited about the upcoming match for the Super Bowl…where we live about half (or more) are Giants fans…then there are us Patriots fans…so it should be fun to get geared up for that match. They will play in Arizona, which is a relief to both teams…the Pats played with a wind chill of -5…but the Giants had to play in Green Bay where the wind chill put it at -30! So Arizona looks like heaven to both teams today!
Take care, Bob…love, Eileen
4.
Joe | January 21, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Boooooooooooooooooob man. I’ve been reading the blog. Good stuff. The US misses you, but sounds like awesome work youre doing in Kenya. Stay safe man…Whens the first time you come back to the US of A?
Updates from home – The Patriots are in the super bowl as of yesterday which I’m sure you know. And the Giants. Which equals noone to root for. haha. I went to Las Vegas with Jenna and a few other people and we gambled our life savings away. Alumni weekend is in a few weeks in Providence. Can’t make it up tho. In other news, Mannion lived in my basement for 2 months before I moved out of my parents house. Funny stuff. Anyway. Love the writing man. You are missed. Keep up the amazing work. I’m sure the kids already know more science than I’ll ever know…not that thats a ringing endorsement. Haha peace bobio.
5.
Jesse | January 23, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Hey man,
I’m sure you’ll be alright. Good luck with school. i’m sure you’ll overcome.
Teach them Ultimate!
Jesse
6.
Ross | January 23, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Hey Bob,
Glad to read you’re safe and doing well. I keep hoping the unrest in Kenya will settle down soon. Maybe by your next post Kofi Annan will have worked some magic.
Good luck with school; keep up the good work, I’m sure you’ll hit your stride.
“Teach them Ultimate” …… silly Jesse
-Ross
7.
Jan | January 28, 2008 at 4:27 am
Hi Bob,
I teach 8th graders in the USA. Would love to set them up with penpals or updates from you. Please advise and may God Bless.
Thanks, Jan
8.
Laura | January 29, 2008 at 12:18 am
Hi Bob –
Been reading your blog – sounds like you’re doing great works over there. Take good care of yourself and stay safe. We’re thinking about you and praying for peace!
Love Laura, Lydia, and Freya
9.
'Lil D | January 31, 2008 at 12:50 am
Hey Bob!
I remember you mentioned that you were going to try to start a blog in the letter you sent, so I started snooping around Google style and found Robert Drew Tobio’s blog.
Everyone at school is asking about you…like every single day. I rewrote the letter you sent me and sent it out to everyone, and people have started asking for your mailing address, so you might be getting some mail from PC Ultimate (we got approved, we’re officially no longer O-Spin) members.
We had our first “Frisbee Team” intramural basketball game tonight – we scored four points in the first half. So you’ll be happy to know that nothing’s changed from last year.
Anyway, I know that we’re all thinking of you, you’re in my thoughts and prayers often. Be smart, don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.
Rock on,
Andrew
P.S. – I sent a letter to the return address on the letter you sent me, hopefully it finds you!
10.
'Lil D | January 31, 2008 at 12:53 am
Hey Bob!
I remember you mentioned that you were going to try to start a blog in the letter you sent, so I started snooping around Google style and found Robert Drew Tobio’s blog.
Everyone at school is asking about you…like every single day. I rewrote the letter you sent me and sent it out to everyone, and people have started asking for your mailing address, so you might be getting some mail from PC Ultimate (we got approved, we’re officially no longer O-Spin) members.
You’ll be happy to know that the “Frisbee Team” intramural basketball team had it’s first game tonight. We scored four points in the first half, so nothing’s changed, which is a comforting thought. Only, we didn’t have my roommate Jon turning the ball over more than Marchant.
Anyway, I know that we’re all thinking of you, you’re in my thoughts and prayers often. Be smart, don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.
Rock on,
Andrew
P.S. – I sent a letter to the return address on the letter you sent me, I hope it finds you!