Throughout our month in Kitale, Kenya, we had the privilege of working with the students of Gilgal High School. There are 104 students who lived and studied on the same compound as the orphanage and church of Shekina Glory Ministries, our contact for the month.
During our month, we frequently did ministry outside of the compound, but were able to spend time with the students in between their classes and daily responsibilities. Their schedule astounded us. They were up and studying at 4:00am and didn't go to bed until after 10:00pm. Their days were regimented with classes, study periods, cleaning, washing, and the occasional break for sports and meals. Watching their schedule, we saw how hard they worked, their discipline, and dedication to their education (something we take for granted in America).
Dan and Laura decided to spend a day in the life of a Gilgal student and all it encompasses. To prepare ourselves, we went to bed just after 10:00pm following the nightly devotion.
[Nightly Devotions sound like heaven.]
Here's the breakdown:
May 29, 2012
3:48am- Morning devotions have begun earlier than expected. We had heard singing at the same time our alarms were going off to prepare for 4am devotions.
4:05- We are late for morning prep. We rudely disrupt the 104 diligent students studying under the light of one light bulb by forcing open the aluminum sheet door held closed by a stone. The scraping along the concrete floor announces our surprise entrance into their world.
4:55- We are reading our Bibles while the students are studying their various 11 subjects. We begin to nod off. Sleep is for the weak. The book of Numbers was not meant to be undertaken at this hour.
5:18- First real thoughts of waking up. Our bodies are numb from the cold. The students are likewise shivering and wrapped in their towels in anticipation for frigid morning buckets baths. TINA (This is Not Africa…. who would have thought we'd be so cold?!)
5:23- We disrupt the students by beginning this list. Things are just funnier when you're sleep deprived.
5:30- We turn around to check what the other students are currently studying only to discover they're perusing a British gossip magazine from May 2011. Something about a royal wedding….
5:45- We find a biology book. We're tired of reading, so we just look at the pictures. The short-necked giraffes die.
5:50- We are dismissed for break. While most students bathe and prepare for the day, we try to make ourselves useful by assisting in cleaning duties.
6:18- The students finish washing the dirt floors. We help move desks or pump water.
6:45- The bell rings for breakfast. We get in line to receive our ration of a cup of strong (black) tea. BYOM (bring your own mug).
7:00- We join the 20 or so Form 3 students (11th grade) in their classroom.
7:08- The daily Kangumu (stay hard) delivery arrives on a bicycle. Kangumu is a bread approximately the size of a cream puff, hard on the outside, dense in the middle, and tastes like a harden stale donut hole. Each one costs 5 shillings (6 cents). We ask one of the students to buy us some for breakfast with our pocket money. We bought a few extra to share with some of the students and are consequently mobbed for our generosity.
8:25- We read from the anthology “When the Sun Goes Down” during the history lesson on French and British colonization in Africa.
“Never cry when the sun goes down, for if you do, the tears will not let you see the stars.”
“Every sun that sets brings me closer to the grave.”
We become depressed about the HIV/AIDS situation in Africa.
8:48- History lesson ends, and the biology class on asexual reproduction via binary fission ensues.
9:18- Biology ends and we get a 10 minute break. A student writes “English Next” on the dusty chalkboard. We stand in the sun the entire break in a desperate attempt to regain feeling in our extremities. We are questioning whether or not we are actually cold-blooded at this point.
9:41- English begins. No, wait… history again.
(Schedule from this point forward become fuzzy and less detailed. Lethargy takes over)
[Laura doing factorization of quadratic equations]
10:17- Trigonometry starts. Something about circles and angles. SOCCAHTOA? Laura finds herself nodding off while Dan keeps track of his coveted metal pencil sharpener as it circulates the room.
11:05- Another break. We decide to self-promote to Form Four (12th grade). We discover that they are leaving the compound to utilize the chemistry lab of a nearby high school.
11:15- We walk the 15 minutes down the road to accompany the students. Although we were excited to leave the compound, the hunger pains left us in a weakened state.
11:30- Our soft, delicate muzungu bodies are unable to cope with the lack of food in our bellies. We attribute this to our privileged American school system which promotes snack time and naps from an early age.
11:56- After waiting outside the lab for the other school's class to be dismissed, we finally are able to collapse onto rickety stools in order to “participate” in the lab. Today's subject is precipitates in various solutions.
We watch in apathetic horror as they cross contaminate the expired chemicals through dirty equipment and improper technique. TINA (This is Not America- no regard for safety or measurements required).
["NOTE: FROM CLASS TO THE LABORATORY,
STUDENTS SHOULD BE RUNNING TO AVOID TIME WASTAGE"]
["PURNISHED"!!!]
12:36- Laura attempts to stay awake by peeling her sunburned arms, when she feels an accidental poke in the back. Upon turning around, she discovers Dan with his head on the table, arms stretched out, battling sleep demons.
12:40- Lunch began back at the compound 10 minutes ago. Yet we are stuck in jail Chem Lab with the students until further notice.
12:45- Dan's glassed over eyes betray his slow decline into delirium.
12:47- Misery abounds. We look at each other with pure suffering and in a few whispered sentences, decided we've seen enough to know that this sucks. We sneak out of chem lab, never to return.
We Quit.
12:48- We begin the walk of shame back to the compound on shaky legs.
1:00- After enduring 9 long hours, frigid temperatures, meager and insufficient nutrition, tedious classes that we weren't participating in, and the disdainful looks from our stronger and persevering classmates, we consider it a great success to have made it through half the day. We retire to the house where we enjoy multiple portions of sustenance, after which we find comfort and safety in our beds.
After attempting this Back to School experiment, we are filled with the utmost respect and regard for the work ethic, determination, perseverance, dedication, and motivation these students display 17 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 4 years. Often, students work during their holidays to earn money for school fees, books, and other necessities. Our experience taught us how hard these students must fight for the things that we so often take for granted, but in doing so they are strengthened physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. They are developing characteristics and habits that will help them to succeed and serve them well for their entire lives. It was an honor to get a small glimpse into their world.
[Laura and I co-wrote this blog; we enjoyed the school day and writing about it 🙂 ]
————————
8 Month B-Squad Debrief in Nairobi
and then…
Uganda in a few days!!!
—————————–
Stay tuned.
God Bless!!!
Dan²
