Class VII Graduation!!

Friday was graduation for Class VII. Honestly, it was one of the happiest days of my life as a new teacher! Those who know me know that I'm not a crier, but I was definitely having to fight a bit to hold back the tears of joy and pride that I had for those kids during the ceremony.

The day started off normally enough, but the minute Kjirstin and I left home, things turned into a whole new cultural experience. When Kjiristin and arrived at school, we were asked to wrap the gifts that would be presented to the Class VII students when they received their certificates. The gifts from the school were: 5 exercise books, a ruler, and a new pencil for their secondary school studies. Here are a couple of pictures of us with the presents:

The contents: 5 exercise books, 1 ruler, 1 pencil

The results of our hard work! :D

After wrapping the gifts, we went in search of a new job to do. We were directed to the ladies who were preparing the food that would be served after the ceremony. With the ladies, we got to do a variety of cooking prep activities. We began with peeling garlic and then ginger root. Then we got to peel some cucumbers and carrots. We shredded the carrots and also got to chop onions. It was so much fun for me. Over the last 9 months I've become so familiar with the church/school community here and now that I know Swahili so much better, I feel more a part of things. It was so fun to get to talk and joke with the ladies in their own language! :D
Here are some pictures of our cooking prep:

After we were finished with the cooking prep, we had some down time. I got to rehearse with Class V a little bit and then I was pretty much hanging out with Kjirstin and Lauren until we began. I was told the service would begin at 12:30pm, but we didn't actually start until 1:30pm. Even then, there were very few parents there. They trickled in slowly throughout the ceremony and eventually, they all arrived. The service proceeded for about 3 hours. During that time, speeches were made, the history of the school was read, some students put on a play, others danced, and others sang. There were songs in English, Swahili, and French (all of the languages that the students are learning at Wesley). I taught the students of Class V "The Lord Bless You and Keep You". This song has a lot of meaning for me because I was a member of the Centenary College Choir for 3 years. At the end of every choir concert we would always encircle our audience and sing this song to them. It may not have the same level of meaning to them, but for me, it was enough to share the song with them and know what it meant to me. Below are some pictures of the ceremony.

Students from Classes IV, V, and VI waiting for the ceremony to start.

Members of the graduating class!! :D

The play that the students put on was about education. There were two families who wanted their children to get into secondary school. One of the fathers wanted his son to get good grades, but didn't want his daughter to go to school. Ironically, the son was skipping school to do drugs and the daughter passed her exams very well.

Me conducting Class V in "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"

After the ceremony, I served lunch (it was about 3:30pm by this time) to all of the graduates, family members, and students who participated in the ceremony. It was really meaningful for me to have the opportunity to serve food. It's really ironic, when you decide to become a missionary, you think you're only going to serve. But, when you arrive, you find that everyone is just as eager to serve you and make you comfortable. They're so happy that you're there and they want you to have the best they can offer. I was just happy to be able to also have the opportunity to serve. :D

Well, that's about all there is from the graduation ceremony. Altogether, it was one of the most wonderful and meaningful experiences I've had here so far. I'm really glad that I got to come back for this extra year so that I could be a part of wishing well to the students I've come to love so much.

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine