Discovering Music

One thing that has taken time to get used to is living by myself.  *Some background on myself: Lived with a family of 5 through my whole life and if you have ever met someone in my family, we are not very internal people.  We are LOUD, there is rarely a time when there is silence in our house, music is playing (usually by a person), the TV is on and people are yelling on top of it all. Once leaving my home and attending the University of Washington you would think I would want to experience life on my own, some peace and quiet….but no, I lived in a sorority with 80 other young women (some of the most intelligent, beautiful, rambunctious  group of women).  And I didn’t just live there for two or three years out of my four in college (like most people do), I decided to stay all four.  3 months later I move to AFRICA all by myself…I had never cooked for myself or cleaned a toilet, I even made my parents have a curfew because I was too scared to sleep at home by myself.  Alright, enough of the confessions, my point is that it can be pretty lonely.  I’ve realized that I CANNOT have my house be quiet, it drives me CrAzY! So, I blare my music…problem solved.  And as anyone would know who has gone on a car trip with me, I can’t listen to music without singing along at the top of my lungs…As I do my laundry outside I am serenading my neighbors, as well as the birds and lizards that sun bath on my tin roof (The lizards and birds don’t seem to mind as much as my neighbors…). Deborah, the nurse that lives next door, told me the other day “you keep singing hun! Its good for the spirit. Doesn’t matter what anyone says.” My response “…what is everyone saying???...” (obviously they are all talking about how I must be a singing star back in America…).

As, many of you also know I live on an infirmary compound surrounded by 2 schools (one all girls, the other mixed), a soccer field, a convent and a catholic church.  An amazing part of the church is that like a church in America, music plays a large role in all of the services, but unlike a church in America this music is full of drums.  In any type of celebration here drums are going full force. At first I thought this was amazing, how wonderful…now, I want to run over and ask if drums are really necessary for a church service at 5:30 am (if you think church bells are bad…bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, BUM, BUM, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, BUM, BUM). I will say that when I am in the mood for the music (which is any other time of the day besides when I’m trying to sleep) it is some of the most amazing music I have heard.  An older man (retired teacher) died near my house last week, it has been very fascinating to watch the ritual/celebration of life here.  The family and friends of this man (which is naturally almost the whole town) paraded past the school up to the church and the sounds that I heard coming from the women’s mouths was something that I didn’t even know the human vocal chords could make! They don’t just cry during funerals they wail. It was shocking.  And the music is playing at all times.  For three days the celebration continues. They must keep the body in the home for 2 days, they last day (usually a Saturday) they bring the body to the church for blessing and then back to the home they go to celebrate all-night-long.  Dead body stench and all, the music, dancing and celebration continues through the whole night.  It is a last good-bye to the person before they burry them direction in front of their home. *interesting belief of Luyia’s: It is tradition to bury your deceased relatives in the front of your home so that the dead can continue to bless your home in their afterlife. I asked if the dead ever haunted them or if they even have a belief of haunting, their response was “why would they haunt you unless you did something bad to them during their life, and if that is so you deserve it!” (…of course). I then asked if they cremated their dead…they looked at me with disgust and ask, “Why would you put them through all that pain!?” …I guess I forgot that the dead still could feel…stupid me…

So because of the funeral, school came to a sort of pause.  Many of the students attended the funeral with their families because they knew this man.  So, Thursday and Friday was mainly review and games.  Pretty fun.  I found out that my class five (4 students who actually all happen to be hearing) didn’t know what continents were, let alone what ocean their country bordered. So after drawing a map of the world (my kids thought it was beautiful….it wasn’t…) I went through each continent and ocean with them.  Miraculously a song from good ol’ McKenna Elementary came to me and I began singing it.  The kids went crazy for it.  Started dancing around the classroom and chanting the song at the top of their lungs.  Whether they were saying the words correctly or not, I didn’t care, it was fun getting these kids out of their set routine of repeating everything that I say, copying the board and total lack of any creativity.  I’ve noticed myself doing things like sitting on the desk instead of the chair, being a complete goof, making up outlandish lie’s so that they get upset and yell the correct answer. My favorite conversation that we keep having is when they call me muzungu (which means white person), I look around shocked and ask “Muzungu where???” They point at me. “WHAT!? I’m white!!!!!!!?????”

“Yes, you are a muzungu.”

“No. I’m Kenyan…I’m black.”

“NO! Your white.”

“But I’m from Africa.”

“NO! you are from America.”

“WHAT!? Really?”

“Yes madam Claire, you are from America, you are just living in Africa.”

“Oh…is that right? But isn’t America in Africa?”

“No. It is far away!”

“Is that so? Where?”

“It is across the Pacific Ocean.”

“NO WAY!”

“Yes! On the other side of the world!”

….Finally…success….I’m not even sure if they know I’m joking through most of the conversation until they’ve drawn a map themselves and labeled it all and I’ve told them they have passed a test…they don’t even know what just hit ‘em.  

This term is also when all the schools get together and have “the games”.  This is many different competitions that go on at the end of the term, soccer, track and field, even dancing.  So after school we have practices.  This past week has been dedicated to dancing.  WOW! Pretty amazing.  I’ve wanted to take a video, but the kids get so distracted by the camera they always stop dancing…eventually I will capture it.  It is the funniest and most impressive thing I’ve seen the kids do collectively.  The dynamic drumbeats these kids create out of empty jerry cans alone are remarkable.  Some of the kids don’t like to dance, but others get so into it! The boys crack me up, shaking their hips and bobbing their heads in traditional African dance.  It has been fun being apart of it and watching them do something all together.  I fall more in love with these kids everyday and they always seem to amaze me.  The questions, the conversations, the personalities and new discoveries every day have been so much fun.  Not every day is easy, it can be hard to motivate the kids when the heat from the day alone consumes all of your energy. And no matter if I’m getting through to them on the syllabus material…they know the continents J