Update

I know it's been a long time since I last wrote -- but I've had a busy couple weeks. Last Saturday I went on a field trip with the 8th graders to Nairobi (the class's first field trip ever). We went to the of the Kenyatta International Conference Center, a circular building with an open top. The strangest thing happened; there was another school group there, and one of the students asked if he could take a picture with me. Of course I said yes, and so they took a picture of me shaking his hand. Immediately after all the other students also wanted a picture with me. I had to take on many poses, and now somewhere in rural Kenya there are about fifty pictures of me with students! My sister says this will look good if I ever run for president. We also went to the "SafariWalk" (a bit like a zoo but you get closer to the animals). For the life of me I could not see the leopard, no matter how much people pointed. I did see a "muzungu" zebra -- one that is tan and white instead of black and white. We had lunch of a mini loaf of plain bread each, which wasactually quite good (sandwiches are not really made). We also visited a public park where the children could watch small airplanes land and take off. Finally, we went to Bomas Kenya, where traditional dances are performed. It was neat to see, even if it is a bit touristy. I am excited that soon I will have my residency card so I will be able to go places without paying a fortune (the tourist price can be 16X as expensive as the locals!) On the bus ride home I had an intense discussion with one of the teachers about the capabilities of women in science, and this also turned into talking about the roles of men and women in society. He was telling me that culturally there are jobs for men, and jobs for women, and that if the sink is leaking some women will wait two weeks for the husband to come home instead of fixing it themselves, because that is a job "for a man." Very interesting. When I was mentioning some of the things I had heard about how Kenyan men often times poorly treat their wives, the female teachers were non-verbally encouraging me -- it was almost as if this is something people know, but are not allowed to say. Of course the teachers in the school are very good people who believe moreso in equality, but just watching the reactions of the female teachers versus the male teacher was fascinating.
The next day I had to come back to Nairobi in order to renew my visa on Monday. I was able to meet up with a volunteer, Serena, who I met on the airplane coming here. She lives in Nairobi and is pretty much on her own, so it is nice for both of us to have company. Her office happens to be in the area where the sisters' house is, so she showed my around. Monday morning I renewed my visa without any problems (I was very blessed that the sister who is a secretary came with me since she knows all about these things). They took all 10 of my fingerprints, some twice! After, I took a bus and matatu home all by myself. I was very proud. As you wait for the matatu to fill up, people walk by the windows trying to sell you things. The first time I waited, I ended up buying a really cool tool set (if you are wondering why, so am I)(in my defense the things are quite cheap) and this time I "ended up" with a calculator. The students don't have them, and the one I use in the school is breaking, so it is something useful. I am just worried what I may come home with next time! A side note, I am comfortable calling Makuyu my home now.
Thursday I went to the town of Isiolo, towards the north of Kenya. Sister Pat had to go to help another Sister with a grant proposal, and since it's about a four hour drive it is better to have company. Also, I have some experience in writing projects, so I was able to offer assistance. The day before, the people had burned the marketplace in Isiolo (we confirmed it was safe before going, of course). It appears to be tribal conflict from the outside, but in reality I've been told that it's being spurred by the government wanting certain pieces of land to make Isiolo into a resort town. While we were meeting with the Sister, the nurse came in to tell her that one of the students was quite sick and needed to go to the hospital. The hospital in Isiolo has no ultrasound machine so she could not go there. The nearest town, Meru, is about an hour away. The girl ended up having to take a matatu to the hospital because the school has no vehicles.
So that's a little bit of the extra things I've been up to latey. More to come soon!