Hello from Meru town, Kenya!
I am Emily Gallant, one of the pre-service teachers currently completing my practicum in Kenya! I am here with my fellow pre-service teacher Hope Gallant, as well as two volunteers for Farmers Helping Farmers, Heather Jones and Paulette Jones
We have been in Kenya for one week now, after meeting up with Heather and Paulette Jones in Nairobi last Friday, February 21st. After spending a wonderful weekend seeing the sights in the capital city, we arrived in Meru on Monday, February 24th (after a short delay due to a retained debit card…) and made it to the home of our dear friend Jennifer Murogocho!
We started our teaching practicum at Kiirua Primary School on Tuesday. We arrived at the school with Jennifer, Paulette and Heather, and were warmly greeted by the headmaster and deputy teacher. The day we arrived, Grade 8 was holding a meeting similar to parent-teacher interviews. We were introduced to the students and their parents, and had the opportunity to see how these meetings take place – very interesting!
The students at the school are so incredible. We are amazed at how eager they are to learn, and how focused they are on their studies. At the end of every class, they ask us all of their burning questions about Canada – some of which we absolutely do not expect! We are also enjoying spending our breaks and lunch hours outdoors, with all of the students. It is so nice to have the opportunity to get to know each student at the school outside of the structured classroom.
We had the chance to tag along with Heather and Paulette one afternoon to see how their project is going. They have been visiting many schools in the area, gathering pictures and information from the staff. We have loved visiting these schools and getting to see the impact the cookhouses sponsored by Farmers Helping Farmers have had on so very many students.
We are so lucky to have such a welcoming support team in Kenya. Jennifer, Tony, Henry, Susan, Peter and Paul have all helped us so much as we navigate Kenya’s cultural terrain. That’s all for this week’s update on our adventures in Kenya – bye for now!
Hope and Emily Gallant
(UPEI Pre-Service Teachers 2020)
P.E.I. Kenya 2020 