Bright Futures

Sometimes when I am feeling as though I have no direction in my life, I fondly recall Monica, who at one year older than me has already established her own school. It does nothing to ease my anxiety. 

Monica has always dreamed of being a teacher. She is a very good one too, as she demonstrated by drilling her class on domestic animals for our benefit. Her eager pupils' hands shot up at once. "Horse!" "Pig!" "Cow!" "Rat!"

Due to poor planning on our part, we arrived in Kenya just as the private schools were closing for their break. When Monica told her students that we were coming, but they would be on holiday they begged her to keep the school open a few extra days. Being the nice teacher/school director she is, she extended the school term. Some of the kids stayed home, having already completed their exams. Let's be real, in those circumstances I would have been right there with them. I was astonished by how many came voluntarily to see "the old white man" and his daughter.

As is typical of everywhere you go in Kenya, Monica had the students perform some poems and songs for the entertainment of their visitors. I always marvel at the sharp memories of Kenyan students- they probably know more poems than Robert Frost.  Here's a small sampling of what we enjoyed at Bright Futures Academy.

Please note the sour expression of the third child from the left. His face never changed. He was a boy after my own heart, but I could not stop laughing at the pictures.

Here's a shot of the entire school, guests and teachers. And yes, those are the classrooms behind.

Adorable little girl recites poem. See if you can spot our gloomy friend.

Another poem reciter and her captive audience.

The next leg of the journey was without question the most harrowing, but of course we did not anticipate that at the time. Had I known what was coming next, I probably would have staked out a nice spot on that grass and listened to poems for a full week. But I didn't know. And so I got into the car with James, Bruce and Monica and headed for Lake Baringo.