Enjoying the Sunshine

Today has been a beautiful day. In spite of that, we spent the morning inside in tutorial (that’s what most of the girls are here for, after all). I spent time with my group of Form 2’s (sophomores) on math (cube roots, reciprocals, exponents) and chemistry (review, clarification, writing formulae for compounds, balancing equations). I have been really pleased with the group’s engagement and participation in the discussions, asking and answering questions, solving problems when I ask them. I really hope they’re getting something out of it that will help them.

Rick is working with two Form 1’s and it sounds like an uphill slog. The one girl who was actually focusing in his tutorial left today to visit family. Her grades came in yesterday and she had achieved the minimum grade to be allowed to go. The two remaining are mentally somewhere else. He’s pretty frustrated trying to figure out how to engage them. Kinyua seems reasonably pleased with his group of Standard 8’s and the Form 3 & 4’s are making an effort with the tutor we hired for them.

After lunch, everyone was enjoying being outside. And the cows took advantage of the weather and tall grass in front of the houses to come into the commons area to graze. That’s one way to get the grass mowed! Of course the cows had an audience. And Zwadi lounged on her back in her favorite pose, soaking up the sun.

Zwadi sunbathing

After the rains

Later in the afternoon, some of the girls and I took advantage to the weather to go for a walk up to the Rift escarpment. It looks so different now that the rains have come. I took a photo before the rains started when everything was very dry and brown. Now the grass has really greened up and the landscape is completely transformed.

Before the rains

Most of the group stopped once we got the the escarpment. But four of us continued up a dirt road toward the Ngong hills. I took a photo of my little group looking back towards Nairobi. If you can spot the green roofs in the background, that is Hekima Place.