Since being at the school, I have formed a really cool relationship with one of the students, John. Most of the students left the school last week, but because he lives so close, John was able to come back and visit multiple times for various reasons. Yesterday, our last day together, he told me that he wanted to tell me his history. So he and I went for a walk around the school's soccer field and he told me about his life, starting with his mother.
His mother married a muslim man shortly after she graduated from secondary school. Not long after they gave birth to their first and only son, Ali. When Ali was around the age of 5, his father tried to kill him and his mom by surrounding their house with gas and lighting it on fire. After calling for help, his mother passed out from the fumes and Ali stayed with her until the police arrived to help them. The policed searched for the father, but to this day they have been unable to locate him.
A few years later, Ali's mother remarried a different man who was part of the Kikuyu tribe, and he decided to change his name from Ali to John. Over the course of their marriage they welcomed three more children into the family. John's stepfather was not a very content man and worked many different jobs. One of the jobs that he obtained was at the Thika primary school for the blind, a short walk from the secondary school. He worked there long enough for his family to become acquainted with the faculty at both the primary and secondary schools. He ended up leaving the primary school to travel to a different city in hopes of finding a new job. His job hopping continued, taking John and his family from city to city, never settling anywhere for long.
After being fired from one of his jobs for some unknown reason, John's stepfather resigned himself to hustling on the streets, begging for money and eventually turning to drugs. Due to his choices, the family struggled financially, trying to survive on the insufficient funds they were able to obtain. Soon after John's father lost his job, he began beating his wife. John remembers, at the age of approximately 9, trying to stand up for his mother and siblings, which resulted in a broken collar bone. Finally, John's mother gained the courage to divorce her second husband. The court gave the children the opportunity to choose which parent to live with. Due to the abuse, the three eldest children (including John) chose to live with their mother, however the youngest child ended up with his father.
John's stepfather is rumored to have moved away, started a new family, and then left his new family, including the youngest child, once again. John and his mother are very concerned about the care that the youngest member of their family is receiving, as step children are not typically given adequate attention or care. John has neither seen, nor heard from either his biological or step father since the time that they left.
When it came time for John to choose which secondary school to go to, the faculty at Thika contacted his mother, asking about his national exam scores, were very impressed, and invited him, despite his lack of visual impairment, to join them at their school for the blind. Since being here, John has thrived. He is ambitious, driven, and incredibly gifted. He told me that he views his past as something to grow from and his future as an opportunity to not repeat history. His family refers to him as a miracle child, handsome, intelligent, and incredibly gifted at drawing.
(I was able to watch as John drew this beautiful piano. It took around 10 minutes)
When he grows up, John wants to be an electrical engineer and travel to many places including the USA. He loves adventures and doing exhillerating things! He taught himself how to play a few songs on the piano, is very good at soccer, and the master of art. Many times he has enlightened me by sharing swahili sayings, telling me about his view of the world and informing me about the countries that I will be visitig over the next few months.
I don't know how John and I became such good pals, but I am so blessed by his friendship, intellect, thoughtfulness, and humor. Our last couple of hours together we spent sitting up on a water tour, talking about life, school, and God. His depth and and curiosity have challenged me and encouraged me. I am beyond sad to be saying goodbye yet again to such sweet friend! I am amazed at how far God has brought John out of his terrible past, and excited to see how much futher He will take him in his future! I would not be upset if God brought me back to this beautiful country, to be reunited with my beautiful friend.
