Sophia's blog

Safety

Posted Fri, 2010-06-11 06:47 by Sophia

Hamjambo,

 

Safety always seems to be a concern for parents when sending thier children off to faraway places. Before  we came, we heard all the horror stories of impoverished places, and it would seem that we were a bit apprehensive because of it.

 

Festivities and Hospitality Record 3

Posted Fri, 2010-06-11 06:34 by Sophia

Hamjambo!

 

Monday morning we all got ready for our first day at KP. Before we piled into the vans, we were told we would not be going straight to KP, but instead be stopping off at the Municipal Offices.

 

Festivities and Hospitality Record 2

Posted Fri, 2010-06-11 06:25 by Sophia

As promised, I am documenting the next phase we experienced pertaining to my topic.

 

Festivities and Hospitality Record 1

Posted Wed, 2010-06-09 09:51 by Sophia

As we were all given jobs, I figured I should start recoding what I have noticed... (a bit of anthro, anyone?).  My topic will very likely be coming up many times throughout the trip... some of the big events are govt' meeting , opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies, World Cup (!), and AKAM Grad. So far we have experienced the first two.

 

First Day!

Posted Mon, 2010-06-07 10:26 by Sophia

Wow! I can't believe it has only been two days. All in one day we have done so much and seen so much it feels like a lifetime.
 
The whole process of getting here was an adventure in and of itself. 9 hours x 2 with the first two legs, and then a hop to Mombasa, where we saw monkeys as we got off the plane.
 
There is so much to say and remark about culture differences, but I think those are best explained with personal experience, as they are verbalised in a very unique manner depending on the individual.
 

Countdown

Posted Tue, 2010-06-01 13:40 by Sophia

3 days left!
 
As packing wraps up and forms are coming in, conceptualizing the trip has become harder and harder. I look forward to the 6 hr layover in Amsterdam when things will truly set in perhaps. Until then, I focus on IAs, Labs, Projects, Papers, and school-- because when we are there the project will be our life.
 
People have started to ask about summer plans-- I honestly haven't thought about it past June 4th... maybe I'll have a better idea when I get back!
 

Language...

Posted Sat, 2010-04-03 18:22 by Sophia

 We speak the languages of the western world. In school, more and more, students learn not only their first language, but also a second, and sometimes a third. In primary school and secondary school, however, generally we only learn Romantic or Germanic languages.... and sometimes Asian languages like Mandarin, Cantonese, or Japanese. How often do you hear of a student taking Swahili as a second language? Or Zulu? Or Afrikaans? Or Amharic?
 

Examination

Posted Sat, 2010-04-03 17:29 by Sophia

It's been a while since i've posted anything, being caught up in a whirlwind of activities, exams, and classes. As I trudged through the parade of exams, an interesting idea was presented, by a guest to our weekly meetings: maybe school is more rigourous at Kipevu... perhaps we take for granted the opportunity to learn and grow in an environment where we have teachers supporting us each step of the way. Our "difficult classes" and "hard exams" may even pale in comparison to what the Kipevu students are expected to memorize and understand.