July 2011
4 posts
Finale.
It’s all over.
From counting day every day, posting on my tumblr everyday, forgetting to post, going to all these different places, teaching, and everything in between it’s been an amazing year and a few months. I came to Kenya June 6th not knowing anything or anyone. I arrived at the airport at night, found a short skinny man with my name on a piece of paper… and the rest is...
lala salama.
I spent a couple of hours with the kids tonight making decorations for the music room, and my laptop was sitting there playing music. I come home to open my laptop there’s a note that says, “Night Mr. Andrew.” with one of my students initials.
I’ll miss this place.
Mvt III.
Oh boy. These days I forget I have a blog.
From the last post, countless things have happened to me, I can’t even remember them all. I guess that’s why I should keep my blog more serious like I used to!
Here are just a few things: Went to Uganda, went to Lamu, bungee jumped over the nile river, white water rafted, slept in a rat infested room, flew in a private plane from a...
February 2011
4 posts
"Every class, every conversation, is a chance to...
The past month has flown by and been extremely busy! I am in the middle of interviewing for different programs and what not, we are on the cusp of a midterm break, and I have to take the GRE exam again and try to get a better score.
This weekend Kenya has the Young Musicians Competition. I have been asked to judge, so that is extremely exciting! It’s funny.. the thought of judging DDR...
I am in charge of a string program... but I want...
A lot has happened since the last time I updated. I met a whole bunch of tremendous people, I am judge for the Young Musicians Competition, we have a really good string orchestra now, and I have been applying to schools and programs to get ready for life after Kenya.
I’ll start with the people I met… We had some visitors from the US, and he was headlined by Ashley Bryan. He wrote...
January 2011
8 posts
You call this work?
Man… 4 months to go, and it feels like yesterday I was here with Zach..
I love living here, and I love teaching at Mt. Kenya Academy. When you see the finish line, it makes one realize a lot of things. A few of those things… how amazing this job is. I wake up, and JUMP out of my mosquito net wrapped bed, I get to teach the most interesting and willing to learn kids. Now that all...
Coolest names in Junior School:
Blessing
Zawadi (gift in swahili)
Precious
Slyvin
Purity
All I want is a routine.
So things have been a little stressful lately… The music room isn’t done at the junior school, so we will wait until it’s done to teach the lessons there. Well…thats not very stressful actually.
I’m working on getting my roster for junior and senior school, and I think we should have that done tomorrow. I think I’ll only accept a certain amount of students,...
Twende.
Sometimes I’m just so busy to update!!
Anyway…. I was about to sit down to study for my GRE’s and… the power went out for hours. It’s now 8:30 and I want to sleep, I don’t exactly have the energy to study!!
So today was move-in day for the junior and senior school. Remember that feeling that you get when you move in at college? Or that feeling getting ready...
Second half of Kenya...here we go.
After being delayed by the blizzard in New York, I got to Kenya on Friday, and went down to the coast. Went to my favorite resort and was treated like a king… bahaha!
Hour massages every morning, breakfast lunch, dinner, tea time, snack bar, and an open bar. Balcony view of the Indian Ocean, and a beautiful beach. It was great going back to the resort, because it was like I had friends...
December 2010
1 post
The city that never sleeps.
I’m home. I think I’ll start counting my days when I get back to school for the second half.. for now im on holiday baby!
New York - Being from New York is really cool…plain and simple. Living in New York is everything it’s cracked up to be… and a lot more. I’m sure all of my Kenyan friends are thinking… “here goes Andrew being cocky...
October 2010
3 posts
kenyasay29moredays. 134-145
WOAH.
Days are flying by in Kenya. I am almost at the halfway point! I think this will be the hardest month… it’s like seeing the finish line during a race, so the anticipation is tough to deal with! Not to mention it’s only the halfway finish line.
Anyways, things have been good. Teaching has been going well. A few exciting things are hopefully getting some new...
Anonymous asked: i know you have seen too much in kenya but not all of us have that mentality. am a kenyan en am from nyeri en i am a handworking student . is not for my parent or my teacher i have goals to accomplish en i wanna have a brighter tomorrow.so not all of us who have that party mentality. some of us we know what we went to school for en we wanna have better future not a sorry future.
100-133. Kenyaparty.
There is so much to talk about and not enough time to post on my blog everyday!
I have realized so much about culture in Kenya. It’s not the culture you think about or the culture you read about in Anthropology textbooks, but I have realized a lot of influences on the youth of Kenyans. A big percentage of the youths in Kenya are focused on partying. I told a 16 year old student today,...
September 2010
3 posts
Day 92 - 99. Alejandro.. for string orchestra
On the eve of day 100, I have 100% realized it’s a waste of time to plan all of my activities every day. In college I did the common thing of writing out every hour, and what I was to do every hour. I tried to do that loosely here but I have realized it doesn’t even matter because things always pop up. It doesn’t happen in a bad way, it just derails my plans or forces me to do them later or the...
Day 90 - 91.
Today was quite an interesting day. Part of me felt bad for being pretty strict and as the students would say “mean.” I enforced a rule at the dining hall which isn’t really enforced by most teachers, but is strictly enforced by the principle. I truly felt bad, and I think it’s because I’m close with the students, but the other part of me justified it completely. ...
Day 80 - 89. What's next?
In the past nine days a ton of new stuff has happened. I bought unlimited internet which makes my life so much more comfortable! I can videochat all I want, I even got MLB TV so I can watch and listen to Yankees games!! I am very organized with buying groceries and I have a good schedule of eating well. There are a few things I want to talk about in the past 9 days; the students here, how they...
August 2010
8 posts
Day 63 - 80.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a written update and I’m sorry! To be honest, I have been too busy and too many things have been going on in the past month!
August is our holiday month, and since I have already spoken a little bit about Zanzibar I will fill you in on my Mombasa trip.
When I got off the plane in Mombasa I was so happy to be back in Kenya. I decided I would stay in the city...
Back from the most exciting vacation of my life.
There are a lot more pictures on my facebook! It just takes too long to upload them all both here and facebook, so if you want more… friend me on facebook.
Written update coming tomorrow!
upinthe-woods asked: How ya been?!
My summer camp job gets in the way of ever being able to talk to you! :(
My summer camp job gets in the way of ever being able to talk to you! :(
moshjunior asked: howz life at Zanzibar like Bro?
Day 57 - 62
Zanzibar.
In the past few days I’ve managed to do a lot absolutely crazy things. Tuesday will be my fourth day here, and a lot has happened in that time. The food here is really good, I love the weather, and in general the people are very helpful and friendly. There is a side that I can’t stand, and that’s the locals that harass every tourist to either buy what they’re...
Day 51- 56.
Today is one of the most important days for Kenya as a country.
The referandum is today, and the country will be voting either Yes, or No, in regards to the proposed constitution.
I’ll be trying to take as many pictures as possible and show everyone!
I’ve been living at Stephen Digges’ house in Westlands, outside of Nairobi for the past few days. If you don’t know who...
July 2010
30 posts
Day 50
Let the holiday begin.
For those of you that don’t know the system here, the months of August, April, and December are considered holidays.
I get the same feeling when everyone on campus at school is leaving to go home. All the kids are super excited to go home and the teachers are too. We have a parents day program at the Junior School, and then it’s holiday for me.
My plan is to...
Day 47 - 49
In the past few days a lot of things have happened, and it seems everyday I learn something new about living here in Kenya. A lot of learning is actually a result in realizing I have been taken advantage of in regards to prices, or just doing things a lot harder than I have to.
For example! I have found that buying vegetables, milk, and things like that are a lot cheaper in the local town...
Day 46
I had a few lessons on Sunday, followed by orchestra. Orchestra is going pretty well, the kids seem to be improving on Pirates, but they aren’t progressing through it as fast I would like. They can play it from beginning to end, and I think that’s the mentality that they have. They have to understand that playing it from beginning to end is not even close to finishing the piece....
Day 46. There's no place like home.
With everyday that goes by in Kenya, I feel more and more comfortable. I feel that I am in a cross between college and at home.
When I’m home watching ESPN eating breakfast, I am just waiting for Max to walk through the door, or Eva running up the stairs, or Dave, Bob, Christian, Eric, and all the rest of those hooligans. But then part of me says to myself, to just call Jason to come...
Day - 45. ESPN is amazing
I’m loving DSTV for so many reasons. The main reason, is that it makes me feel a lot more at home. Just keeping the TV on, even if it’s news, the music channel or ESPN, it’s good to just have on in the background.
Finding the Sportscenter times will work pretty well with me, but when there is MLB baseball, those games are on at like 3 am my time!
Cricket. Watching...
Comforting.
TRAVEL ALERT – KENYA
Embassy of the United States of America
Nairobi, Kenya
July 23, 2010
This Travel Alert is being issued to alert U.S. citizens in Kenya to two independent security concerns. In the wake of the July 11, 2010 terrorist bombings in Kampala, Uganda, there have been increased threats made against public areas in Kenya. In addition, there is concern...
Day 44
Zach and I made some big moves today. I bought a TV in town, and a DSTV. DSTV is basically the cable provider here so I could watch some TV. It’s a good form of entertainment, but the one thing that was a little disappointing, was ESPN! ESPN was the one channel I was looking forward to, and their programming is different than US =( I turned on the TV, and was watching Wednesday Night...
Woops.
I uploaded two sets of photos, but I’ll keep it.
5 tags
Day 38 - 43.
Sorry for the lack of updating my blog, but you have understand, things just randomly come up in Africa.
I think I’ll stop making my titles with Kenya in it.
Our Maasai Mara trip was absolutely amazing. Driving through the southern rift valley was beautiful and the landscape was unreal. Seeing the mountains and the landscape was gorgeous.
We stayed in the Maasai Mara, and it was so...
8 tags
2 tags
Day 34 - 37 Kenyabraidmyhair
Friday:
I played in another soccer match, and we ended up winning 2-0. The other team was extremely angry how our referee was calling the game, and upset that it was so physical, but it was because their captain had such a poor attitude for the game.
Our weekend started out in Hell’s Gate National Park and it was such a great trip. We got to the park and started our bike tour since the...
Senator Letter
This was the letter, since it’s very hard to read.
Dear Andrew:
I recently read in the Massapequan Observer that you were selected as the string director at the Mount Kenya Academy in Africa and I would like to add my congratulations to the many you have already received.
To be chosen for this job opportunity is certainly an honor. It appears that you have put forth extreme effort in order...
Day 33 - Kenyasayunfair
I shouldn’t be too proud of being on the winning team of a high school soccer team, but Mt. Kenya Academy beat another private school today, 3-1!
I started out playing center midfield, and then moved up to striker in the second half of the game. All the scoring came in the second half, but it’s tough playing a friendly game like this just for the fact that we don’t official referees. There...