Count Me (in?)

Kenya's grand tradition of Sudden Public Holidays continues. You might remember Obama Day... Kenya erupted in joy at the election of their own semi-kenyan US President and declared a national day off for everyone.

But this time's reason might not appear to be holiday-worthy at first glance: The Census. Now, I _am_ a math teacher, and I get pretty excited about statistics, but a national holiday? Hm. I'd have picked Pi Day. But no, President Kibaki announced on Sunday that Tuesday would be a public holiday. Wow. A whole day's notice.

See, they want to get an accurate count of absolutely everyone, so they're putting all sort of incentives in place. They wanted the wandering Masaai herdsmen to show up, so they provided free grain and water at a particular border. And they wanted to be able to find all the crazy-living Nairobians, so they closed all the businesses and ordered the police to shut down "all bars and places of entertainment- let's take a break from drinking," said the Census Master.

Speaking of census officials, they gave special shirts to all the people coming around to count and ask questions. See, it's a door-to-door activity, and you wouldn't let just anyone into your house. So they have bright red polo shirts that say ENUMERATOR across the back. I cannot even express how badly I want one of those. =)

And it's a good thing I was home from work today. About 11 AM, Julie the Census Girl came by (sporting a cool red shirt, of course), and asked me questions like "How many people slept here last night?" "Do you have access to the internet?" "How many live children have you given birth to?" "How many still births?" "Do you own a TV?" "Do you own a fridge?" She tried to hide her shock that one, I live alone (Kenyans rarely do), and that two, I own a fridge but not a TV. How bizarre.

When the five-minute questionnaire was complete, she gathered her books, put her shoes back on, and marked my door with the serial number of my census form. I've been counted.

I made good use of the rest of my day off, as you can see from the photo below.

Now I'll take them to my small group meeting and enjoy the conclusion of this unexpected work-free day! Just remember- we might not get Snow Days here, but you probably don't get Census Days.

New (School) Year's Resolutions

I love the seasonality of teacher-life. And living in a mini-village of educators sure accentuates that rhythm. So while normal human beings make resolutions at New Year's, I've sensed a distinct atmosphere of self-improvement around campus these weeks. Everyone's waking up early to run, lift, pray, grade. Well, hopefully not grade yet- the kids haven't arrived. New students get oriented tomorrow, we run a half-day of assemblies on Tuesday, and classes start in earnest on Wednesday. Classrooms are clean, hopes are high, and friendships are fresh.

My starting prayer:
May this school year be a good apple- crisp, nourishing, and flavorful.

The Mara

Last weekend, the 4 of us who had gone to Egypt together headed to the Mara on safari for the boys' birthday. (Yes, in addition to the same first name, they share the same the same birthday. And the same middle name.) It was a great time of reconnecting after a summer apart, hearing people's stories, and playing cards- Wendy and I beat the boys _again_ at Rook.

The Mara is by far my favorite place I've visited on safari. I loved the open sky, the tawny plains, the striking trees.

The birthday boys, with a bonus giraffe
Us girls, with a speckling of migrating wildebeest in the background
Wildebeest who finally got up the nerve to cross the river
God did a great job on East Africa.