June has brought on some much colder weather to Eluwai village. Though the sun at 3 degrees latitude is still fierce, it can not compete with the daily wind and chilliness on the Aang Serian Community School grounds.
It has been a busy month so far. On June 7th, Andy Sheldon arrived from Portland, Oregon at the school as our new Geography, Art and Music teacher. A professional musician formerly of the band, The Samples, now currently an independent artist, he will be teaching here until August.
On June 10th, we held "Open Day." Originally a day planned to host international donors and open the school for viewing of progress, programs and school achievements by students, unfortunately many donors were unable to attend. Another Open Day has been scheduled for August 18th. Though unable to attend, the school carried on and we had a wonderful day of sharing. Preparations were many, as teacher Megan worked with students to create a school sign at the entrance of the grounds while Ashley and Pete worked with others to prepare a satisfactory football pitch and clean the school grounds. First thing in the morning of Open Day, we were able to view our first goat slaughter as 4 male students slaughtered 2 goats (thanks to the purchases of teachers Pete and Ashley). Maasai normally slaughter their goats by suffocation. This way, they are able to save as much blood as possible for later consumption. However, it is also Muslim culture to only eat animals who have been slit at the throat, and since a Muslim student was present, that was the method used that day. After collection of blood into a medium-sized cooking pot, the students proceeded to pass it around and finish every last drop. No, the teachers did not participate in this activity. Then, the goats were skinned, gutted and meat prepared for the main dish of the day: goat meat cooked with plantains (cooking bananas), tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes and spices.
We had over 200 guests, members of Eluwai village attend the school that day. Along with the chairman of the village, elders, parents, morani and women joined us for a meeting regarding the future of Aang Serian and it's work in and with the village. Following speeches, everyone (yes, everyone) enjoyed the meal prepared by our wonderful cook, Vicky, and all the female students. 2 weeks before Open Day, after the football team's third loss, the players decided it needed a proper coach. Though the students are incredibly athletic and quick, they were lacking in skill and overall education of the game. Since, Ashley has been named head coach of the team, Pete, Assistant Coach and Agent, and Haley, Director of Player Personnel and General Manager. Being a female head coach would sound easy, however, given the fact that men are superior to women in this culture, getting the guys to listen to a female coach, especially something as male-dominated as the game of football, it can be quite a challenge. It only took 5 months of playing with them daily to make them realize females might have some knowledge of the game given our past soccer experiences. On Open Day we had the first Student vs. Teacher football game. A couple weeks beforehand, teacher Saif made a wonderful contribution to the school in the form of a team set of football jerseys, replicas of the Futbol Club de Barcelona, that were worn for the first game in the game. Though the teachers pulled ahead with a goal in the first half, the students struck back late in the second half with a goal sneaking through the goal off a corner kick by student Daudi. With a final score of 1-1, both groups were happy. However, it will be all back to business on August 18th during Open Day when a rematch ensues....
During the week of June 13th-17th, the students took their terminal examinations, and on Friday the 17th, were handed their final grade reports before heading home for the month-long break before school resumes on July 18th. Safari njema (safe travels) and see you in July!
It has been a busy month so far. On June 7th, Andy Sheldon arrived from Portland, Oregon at the school as our new Geography, Art and Music teacher. A professional musician formerly of the band, The Samples, now currently an independent artist, he will be teaching here until August.
On June 10th, we held "Open Day." Originally a day planned to host international donors and open the school for viewing of progress, programs and school achievements by students, unfortunately many donors were unable to attend. Another Open Day has been scheduled for August 18th. Though unable to attend, the school carried on and we had a wonderful day of sharing. Preparations were many, as teacher Megan worked with students to create a school sign at the entrance of the grounds while Ashley and Pete worked with others to prepare a satisfactory football pitch and clean the school grounds. First thing in the morning of Open Day, we were able to view our first goat slaughter as 4 male students slaughtered 2 goats (thanks to the purchases of teachers Pete and Ashley). Maasai normally slaughter their goats by suffocation. This way, they are able to save as much blood as possible for later consumption. However, it is also Muslim culture to only eat animals who have been slit at the throat, and since a Muslim student was present, that was the method used that day. After collection of blood into a medium-sized cooking pot, the students proceeded to pass it around and finish every last drop. No, the teachers did not participate in this activity. Then, the goats were skinned, gutted and meat prepared for the main dish of the day: goat meat cooked with plantains (cooking bananas), tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes and spices.
We had over 200 guests, members of Eluwai village attend the school that day. Along with the chairman of the village, elders, parents, morani and women joined us for a meeting regarding the future of Aang Serian and it's work in and with the village. Following speeches, everyone (yes, everyone) enjoyed the meal prepared by our wonderful cook, Vicky, and all the female students. 2 weeks before Open Day, after the football team's third loss, the players decided it needed a proper coach. Though the students are incredibly athletic and quick, they were lacking in skill and overall education of the game. Since, Ashley has been named head coach of the team, Pete, Assistant Coach and Agent, and Haley, Director of Player Personnel and General Manager. Being a female head coach would sound easy, however, given the fact that men are superior to women in this culture, getting the guys to listen to a female coach, especially something as male-dominated as the game of football, it can be quite a challenge. It only took 5 months of playing with them daily to make them realize females might have some knowledge of the game given our past soccer experiences. On Open Day we had the first Student vs. Teacher football game. A couple weeks beforehand, teacher Saif made a wonderful contribution to the school in the form of a team set of football jerseys, replicas of the Futbol Club de Barcelona, that were worn for the first game in the game. Though the teachers pulled ahead with a goal in the first half, the students struck back late in the second half with a goal sneaking through the goal off a corner kick by student Daudi. With a final score of 1-1, both groups were happy. However, it will be all back to business on August 18th during Open Day when a rematch ensues....
During the week of June 13th-17th, the students took their terminal examinations, and on Friday the 17th, were handed their final grade reports before heading home for the month-long break before school resumes on July 18th. Safari njema (safe travels) and see you in July!
posted by Ashley at 12:44 AM
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