Hamomi

The last post was part of the computer class that we (Brady and I) have been teaching at Hamomi. 

Laurel and Eric taught the students when they were here as well, and we’ve been reviewing some of what they learned before, practicing typing, and recently learning to write letters (both informal and formal).  Brady and I also hang out with the kids during PE, and have enjoyed playing football, kickball, and also many singing games that the kids enjoy.  Hide and Seek is also a favorite (some things seem to naturally transcend cultural boundaries.  Today Brady and I also adventured around to a local Kinyozi (barber shop) and he got his beard and hair cut and trimmed (see the convenient before and after pictures for easy reference).  It was fun, and the barber was excited to cut his first mzungu’s hair. 

I was able to have a nice conversation with him in Swahili and translating what he wanted his hair to look like felt like taking Aaron to get a hair cut for my Christmas present, where I had the power to make things look awful with a moment of neglect, or the wrong vocabulary in this case.  Many Kenyan men complain of bumps from shaving on their own here, and it is so cheap to go to the barber shop, that many go for both their beards and hair to be trimmed.  They use an electric razor for both the head and face.  Then after he was done, lathered up Brady’s face with 3 different applications of after shave.  It was quite the treatment, and if you get your head shaved it typically comes with a massage as well.  One of the fun things I’ve been up to lately is teaching a woman (and sometimes her friends as well) to use the computer.  I was walking to school and started talking with her about her life and mine, and what typeof things had brought us to the bridge together that morning.  When she heard that I was going to teach a computer class to a primary school, she asked me how much I charged for lessons, and said that learning to use a computer would greatly help her to communicate and organize, without depending on others as much.  I loved that it was something she suggested, and was so interested in that she was willing to pay for it.  So each Monday morning I go and sit with her on a hill by a stream and we learn about email and typing.  It’s been fun getting to know her, and watching her eyes be opened to a totally new tool.  I just finished reading the book the “Blue Sweater” by Jaqueline Novogratz who left a career at Chase Bank to pursue a course of empowering those around the globe in need.  It’s a fascinating narrative that I highly recommend, and was wonderful to read while here, as most of it takes place in the same part of East Africa where I am.  She eloquently elaborates on topics and emotions I feel each day, yet hadn’t fully sat down and recognized until I read similar things in her book.