Week 3

On Sunday (Jan 22) afternoon we visited a nearby park that has many authentic African homes from years gone by and some captured African wildlife. Here we are standing near homes from one of the African tribes. On Sunday evening we joined a fellowship group of missionaries for a fellowship meal and a time of prayer. We had heard about this group in Nairobi where we spent our first night on arrival in Kenya. So far our weekends are very quiet and this gives us an opportunity to visit with others.

On Wednesday I joined Grace on her trip to the main campus where I attended a Moi University Senate meeting. It was very much like what we had at U of M, except that it opened and closed with prayer, instead of formal votes the vice-chancellor just waited to hear a few “yeses”, a snack was served during the meeting and a full lunch afterward. The first picture below is the main Moi U Administrative and Senate building. It needs some paint on the outside but is quite elegant on the inside.

The next building is the building in which Grace teaches. She asked her students to write a paragraph “About Me”. At first they thought she wanted them to write about her.  No, she said, she wanted to get to know them a little, they should write about themselves.  When that was established they got to work. Writing seems to be their weakness. Anyway some of them must have been feeling their oats because one said he was 30 years old and another said he was born in 1950.

On Thursday evening we were invited to two different Chinese dinner parties, both in the same restaurant. (Unfortunately, God only gave us one stomach.) The department I am part of had a dinner in honour of their professor who earlier in the day gave an “Inaugural Lecture” at a very elaborate event. The lecture was on production and marketing of maize in Kenya but sounded a lot like issues of wheat in Canada. The International relations department put on the other dinner for a departing International visitor, Karen Strang from North Bay, Ontario.

On Friday I saw a highway tractor with a long trailer behind it. The trailer had four-foot high sides and three rows of bars above them. It was packed with standing people going home from work. It was so packed that some had to sit on the edges inside the bars.

There are a few traffic lights in downtown Eldoret, but they are all covered up. After they were put into effect, there were so many accidents that they decided to mothball them. Apparently many drivers ignored them while others assumed that they could proceed on a green light.

A few years ago in a sermon Pastor John indicated sometimes aid needs to be examined, citing free aid to Africa had been harmful to their economy, whereas free trade with other countries had helped. Our first week here Moi’s International liaison officer pointed out a large series of empty buildings covering several acres. This complex once employed 3,000 people to sew clothes but now sits idle because they could not compete with second hand clothes from North America.

Week 2

 This is our home in Eldoret. The family who owns this house, Jim and Jane Sang, also have their home on this property. We share the home with a PhD student from Tanzania, named Grace. The properties in this area are generally surrounded by nine-foot high brick walls, topped with a few strands of barbwire and guarded 24-7. We are told it is safe to walk here at night. It might be safe with respect to thieves but there are no street lights so there would be a good chance of stepping in a hole, falling and breaking a limb. In that respect, we think it is not safe.

Grace had her first class Monday. The 35 km to the main campus took a little over half an hour, which is quite reasonable. She has a class of about 55 students with a total of 6 textbooks for the class, which is a drawback.

I met each of my classes this week. Generally students do not have textbooks so that is a problem. On Thursday I arrived at class today prepared to teach a two-sample t test was told students had not even seen the one sample test. For Friday’s class I had been told to assume students had not seen the relevant topic. When I arrived I found out they were taking the theory of the topic, not the application. Another big change in plans, this time more difficult.

Saturday we went to do our shopping. We tried to get a ride on a matatu (see minivan in the picture) but after about a dozen passed us already full, we decided to walk. After about twenty steps a businessman picked us up and gave us a ride. The matatu shown is driving through a very rough section of the street. I suspect it has been that rough for a long time. The last picture is a taxi stand. On her ride to school Grace was told often a son would ask his father for a plot of land so he could start out on his own. When he gets the land, he sells it and buys a motorcycle to operate a taxi. Not a wise decision – on good days they may earn up to $7.00.

This morning we attended the second service of the Africa Inland Church (Anglican) with Sangs. Services are at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 with the latter in Swahili. The second service was packed with about 4,000 people. It was a very good service. All in all, a very good week.

Just before we left Winnipeg I was told I could start raising my left arm to shoulder height but no farther. After three weeks of very hard work I am finally able to get it to shoulder height. Pitching 80 pound bales in my youth was easier but at least I see good progress.

Week 1

Our 25-hour flight to Kenya (starting January 8) was uneventful except that Grace’s suitcase missed a connection. We finally got it on January 15, a week later. We went to the Mayfield Guest House (picture 1) for a sleep before flying on to Eldoret Tuesday evening. At Mayfield we met a Bible School teacher who told us about some churches in Eldoret.

We were met at the airport be Thomas Kurgat who devoted much of the next few days showing us around Eldoret and introducing us to many university officials and taking us shopping.  We also got a better idea of what we will be doing. Grace will be teaching English Literature and Grammar Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Moi University main campus, which is about 35 km out of town. She likes the assignment but not the 45-minute drive each way. I will be co-teaching an introductory statistics course and two graduate courses. I was fearful of the challenge the latter implied, as I have never taught a graduate course. It turns out these were economics students who thought economics was a discipline in Arts that required no mathematics or statistics. The challenge will be to make sure I don’t go over their heads.

Grace is standing in front of the home of the people who own the house we are staying in - and sharing with a PhD student from Tanzania. She is a bank manager and he is the financial officer of Moi Uninversity. Our home is "further back" - see last picture.

On Sunday we went to the Sirikwa Pentecostal Fellowship and enjoyed a two-hour church service. After the service the district pastor and his wife, Rick and Carol took us out to dinner and then back to our home. All in all, we have had an excellent week. People are very friendly and we are expecting this to be an enjoyable experience. The weather has been fantastic - sunny every day with highs around 25 and lows in the lower teens.

Our home is through a door in the metal gate in the background.