I did not think I would blog, but why not? It connects us -- in an age of less and less connection in everyday life. I am writing a middle grade novel about a ten year old girl who moves to Kenya with her family, so I try to remember life in Kenya.
I lived and taught at an elementary school, with my older daughter now 22. I taught at The Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School -- she also attended, on many acres of dry or muddy land (depending on the season) near Nairobi National Park (and not too far from the city of Nairobi). In the dry season, giraffes walked the fence line to reach distant watering holes and at night we could hear hyenas barking. Cow, chickens, dogs and cats, snakes, spiders, insects -- are shared the space -- we were innundated with animals!
The children were great too...locals, city kids, ex-pats, orphans, various religions and ethnic groups.
My daughter was the only Jewish child -- I told a lot of Jewish stories wherever I had the chance in my classroom and hers. We attended the Nairobi Synagogue, built in the 20s, a beautiful place, a welcoming group.
We returned in 1999 -- I got married, had another child (a beautuful girl, who is now 5) -- a lot has happened!
Now I am called upon to transport my mind back to Africa in order to write about it effectively...the sights, the smells, the sounds...the wasi wasi ("craziness").
If anyone has any good stories about East Africa.... please, please share them here.
I lived and taught at an elementary school, with my older daughter now 22. I taught at The Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School -- she also attended, on many acres of dry or muddy land (depending on the season) near Nairobi National Park (and not too far from the city of Nairobi). In the dry season, giraffes walked the fence line to reach distant watering holes and at night we could hear hyenas barking. Cow, chickens, dogs and cats, snakes, spiders, insects -- are shared the space -- we were innundated with animals!
The children were great too...locals, city kids, ex-pats, orphans, various religions and ethnic groups.
My daughter was the only Jewish child -- I told a lot of Jewish stories wherever I had the chance in my classroom and hers. We attended the Nairobi Synagogue, built in the 20s, a beautiful place, a welcoming group.
We returned in 1999 -- I got married, had another child (a beautuful girl, who is now 5) -- a lot has happened!
Now I am called upon to transport my mind back to Africa in order to write about it effectively...the sights, the smells, the sounds...the wasi wasi ("craziness").
If anyone has any good stories about East Africa.... please, please share them here.
Talk about making connections.
ReplyDeleteYou write middle-grade fiction? So do I!
About a ten-year-old girl? So do I!
In Kenya? I've been there!
Only once, in the late 1980s, for a week. I was there with my boss on a work mission, but one day our host drove us through Nairobi National Park. My husband's favorite anecdote of mine from that trip is about our host stopping his VW bug on a dirt road by a wall-height hedge, and saying to me, "A giraffe is looking at you." From the back seat, I looked all around but didn't see anything. My host said, "Look up." When I did, my eyes met those of a giraffe who was peeking over the top of the hedge.