Party Time!

So I have been in Kahunda for 3 weeks and have been to a funeral, a wake, a retirement party and a graduation party, that’s a lot.

So the latest thing I have been to was the graduation party of the form 4’s from the secondary school. So you have a picture of the day’s events on the invitation it said from 9am- It started around half past 11 we arrived at 12:20 and it finished around half five for the food and we got left at about half 6 after we had eaten. It is culturally acceptable to be late but not to leave early. It was rewarding to have the meal when we finished which consisted of rice, beef, plantain and cucumber which you eat with your right hand only. I really enjoyed the food and eating the way that they eat it. – can’t wait to get some cooking practice in!

You teachers out there may be saying ‘Graduation party? But it’s only September!’ Well here the school year runs alongside the calendar year. The form 4’s who have ‘graduated’ will sit their final national exams at the end of October.

I have been spending more and more time with secondary students – this is challenging. They speak English – some can say a few phrases others are near enough fluent, so it is easy to hold a conversation with them for longer than passing formalities. One experience: I tried to ask a guy how old he was and then for his age and again when his birthday was the response was consistently ‘yes’. They seem to say that to anything that they don’t understand rather than saying they don’t understand. Part of my reason being here is to practice conversational English with the guys.

Party = a formal occasion where the invited guests sit and watch presentations by the local choir, people singing, sketches, poems sang/read, publically give gifts inc. monetary gifts these total the majority of the party it is then followed by a meal.

Threw a rugby ball round with some secondary guys on a couple of occasions, they can pick up the spin pass fairly easily. Managed to do the simplest passing drill I know with a few of them. Their initial reaction when they see and hold the ball is to laugh which is also comical for me. I wonder how long it will take to get to a game of touch!? I can also see that it will require commitment from them as unfortunately because they have never seen a ball before we can’t just pick up a ball and play a game unlike football.

Each morning this week from 10-11am I have been at the kindergarten (Lake Victoria Christian Academy) doing the PE time for both classes. Ages range from 4-9. Arne & I have been progressively teaching Kickball (baseball with no bat and a football that is rolled not thrown and then kicked). The days when we were only teaching them to kick and run around the bases, there was a lot of sweaty running involved for me to fetch the ball, they thought it was funny when I had to do that.

Please pray for me as I continue to get to know and establish friendships with students at the secondary school.