Brandi McDonald at EAMO, 2009 & 2010
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January 8, 2010 - Brandi back at EAMO |
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Travel Blogs -
Brandi McDonald
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Hello everyone,
So much has happened since I have been back to EAMO, as well as the many things that happened in my absence. I arrived here on the 16th of December, a day before the group from Canada. Things have been bust from the moment I arrived, with finishing the new girls' dorm that was dedicated to Gwen Bader on Christmas Day, with preparing for Christmas itself and now I am preparing lesson plans for the new school year, which begins on Monday. It was such a blessing to see all the kids' faces again and even the 20 or so new ones, whose names I am still trying to memorize. I wish you could all see how big my baby Riley has gotten- he is such a happy baby now and is looking so healthy. I will post a picture of him sometime.
I have attached a picture of one of the walls in the new dorm and its beautiful animals that two Aussie volunteers, Danielle and Jordan, painted for the girls. They did a fantastic job and with a couple more painted rooms, the girls will move in. It was so amazing to see the excitement of the children on Christmas when they got to open all their presents and enjoy a special meal of green and red rice for breakfast and spaghetti for lunch, which was such a treat!
It is much warmer in Kenya now that summer has begun and unlike before, I am very able to get a sunburn this time. In my two months home, I guess I lost any slight tan I had because all the children asked me why I became so pale in Canada. With the -30 weather, I was not about to expose my body to the sunlight. I am gaining some colour again now, so they tease me a bit less.
A wonderful surprise to coming back is that Chloe Rosengren will be staying here for the next few months with me and it is such a blessing to have her here. We have had many fun and crazy times already even though we have only been here for 2 weeks. We are staying in one room of my little house, while the two Aussie girls are living in the other room. With 4 girls in such a small house, you have no choice to get to know one another, but I am grateful for such an opportunity as all 3 are wonderful. Chloe and I also had the chance to join the Canadian group for 3 days in going to the national animal reserve in Kenya, called the Masai Mara.
It rained like crazy and I have never driven on such wild roads, but I so badly wanted to have a quad and go ripping around. I did get out into it, as in the mud when I fell one day and was covered in mud with a scrape on my knee, like usual; it made for quite a comical trip (yes, I attached a picture). We were able to see lions and giraffes and elephants just walking around in their natural habitat and not in a zoo. It was great! One of the lions walked right next to our van. Better than that was a visit to a traditional Masai village, where we were able to go inside their homes and learn about their culture and their rituals. In some ways, it made me sad, but it was good to know that things are changing in that society. Well that will be all for now. I want to wish you all a great new year and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
May God bless you all with the opportunities this new year holds.
With love and prayer, Brandi Leah
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September 22, 2009 Update |
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Travel Blogs -
Brandi McDonald
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A new update:
I have just begun my third week of teaching. Oh man, what a ride! I have gone over so many different emotions about teaching. I have loved it, doubted it, gotten frustrated with it. At the moment I am ok with it, but not quite loving it like I did when I started. I have found it challenging because many of the students in one class are different ages and thus often at different learning capabilities. I think I will find this in every class though, so this is great practice.
Another obstacle has been the fact that I am Canadian and have a different accent and wording than they are used to and though I often remember to talk slowly, the words I am saying are still foreign to them. There are only so many ways I know how to explain something. Fortunately I am learning Swahili quickly and this greatly decreases the barrier I have, though I still have so much to learn. I have had a lot of fun with them, doing spelling tests, reading stories, and of course doing lots of grammar- fun fun fun!!
My other newest addition to my life here at EAMO is a brand new baby who another volunteer here, Jackie, and I were allowed to name, so he is now Riley Spinks. Has a nice ring to it eh? He will be a month old on Sept. 27. I have to admit that taking care of a baby that young is an adventure and a challenge like nothing else I have done so far. I give credit to all the moms who are reading this-you are strong and I admire you. Riley is very tiny, as you can see in the picture I have attached below. He is adorable and my love for him is growing. 
Actually, Ralph and May’s daughter Danielle just gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who they named Jaime, and even this newborn is bigger than my Riley. So far he has proven to be quite healthy and though he is a crier, he is getting more content with each day that he is here. I have been busy and tired, but each moment here is well spent. Keep praying for the orphanage as there always needs to be met and money to be found to fill those needs. I have seen God provide so much for this orphanage and I am thrilled to serve such a God. Please help us continue to petition to Him for His blessings. May He continue to bless all of you and your families as well.
Take care.
Brandi Leah
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Travel Blogs -
Brandi McDonald
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Hello again everyone!
Just to keep you up to date, I have been here for almost a month and a half, and I am still loving every day I spend here. The kids are out of school for the month of August, so we do chores in the morning and then play in the afternoon. I have spent most of my time up at the house, helping Mum sort and distribute clothes (the kids switch their clothes every three months if they have grown out of them or torn them). That has been quite a chore, but it is great to see the faces of the children when they get a new pretty dress or shirt. I have also been helping May get clothes from the market for whatever clothes we are missing that have not been donated, which is quite a task.
There was one day where I helped the boys dig for a couple hours, of which I have included a picture. This is probably the only day I have done any hard labour and somehow I got it on camera. Other than this, I have been learning how to cook super healthy and to sew properly and other domestic things. I have really enjoyed it actually. The weather is getting a bit warmer and I have only gotten one burn since I arrived and it was mild- I have been praising God for that. Once school starts in September, then I will be teaching English, so I am preparing for that at the moment and I am excited for this adventure/challenge to begin.
Hope you are all well at home and have many adventures stored up to tell me when I return. I have also included a couple pictures of my house, as some of you have requested to see where I live.
1st pic: Helping the older boys dig and spread dirt for the foundation of the new girl's dorm.
2nd pic: My kitchen- where I spend my time making up new food creations each week.
3rd pic: My bedroom, though it has been moved around a little since then. 
Take care and God bless, Brandi |
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Travel Blogs -
Brandi McDonald
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Many people have inquired about the wildlife/insects here and one thing I have wanted since I got here was to hold a chameleon- well one of the boys found me one-woohoo. I thought it would be bigger, but its only the size of two of my thumbs. I don't see much wildlife here, other than tons of awesome-looking birds. I have not even seen many mosquitos yet. I have included a picture of me with the chameleon! 
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Travel Blogs -
Brandi McDonald
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Since we are nearing the end of the school year, many of the teachers are called away to grade the finals for the high schools in the area. This leaves many of the younger classes untaught. Therefore this past week I have been teaching some random Science, English, and P.E. classes, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. In Canada, I learned a process known as family groups that uses games and exercises to create unity among a group. I brought the booklet with me here and have used it for the phys-ed classes and have been teaching the kids the games, which they seem to love.
Some of the games played have been 'Do You Love Your Neighbor', 'Elephant, Motorcycle, Palm Tree', 'People-to-People', and 'Knots'. Though the kids all live together, it is sometimes hard to have them work together to accomplish something or to learn to trust, as many of them have trust issues, for reasons that are obvious. Hopefully we can teach them these essential values, while having fun at the same time. This is Brandi reporting from Kenya. God bless and fare well. Stay on top of things, check email from other accounts! Check it out.
 
This was the grade 5 P.E. class playing the game People-to-People, where the kids get in pairs and when I call out two body parts, they have to have them touch (ex. hand to shoulder) and then one action after another until I get them to change partners. It was quite a riot to myself and the children standing around watching.
This is the grade 6 P.E. class playing the game Knots, where they have to holds hands in a mixed up way in a circle then untangle them without letting go. This was also played with the grade 8's and both were extremely confusing to me because they solved them while using Swahili. It was harder when I was part of the circle and was not able to help or know what I was being told to do. |
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