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Zebras, in hundreds, as far as you can see

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There's a lot of fullness that Kenya gifted us. So much of it is kindred. There is only so much of that fullness from this trip that I can give language to, because most of it is felt: it's that heart/gut literacy that I'm always talking about. Whether you are across the world, or in your very own home, I'm imagining this gift that Kenya brought to us comes in different forms, and that it can manifest in different ways. I'm hoping to find this fullness stateside, working on the listening, to just be.

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This is one of the rare cases when a picture reveals LESS than a thousand words, so I will share with you what is missing: The perplexed look on Benjamin's (center) face comes from the bewilderedness of seeing a picture of our household pet cats, giant orange Siberian Forest cats Boris and Milli. (Pet cats are rare in this part of Kenya...they are mostly seen as a burden, or generally not friendly, as a lot of energy is devoted to staying safe from the big cats re: lions, cheetahs, leapards).

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Warthogs are my favorite, if you know Pumbaa, you will understand him even further as he embodies the warthog spirit, truly. They were spotted throughout our trip, from Nairobi all the way to the Mara, and each time, they met us through a lens of "jolly," cavorting around with parties of multi-species, resting, eating grass, taking a stroll. (The Maasai Mara is a land reserve owned mostly by the Maasai. The Maasai typically lease their land to Safari camps, and they are also the ones who host the experience).

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Teacher Workshops on the Roof, Kenya Connect Headquarters 

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Cornelius, myself, and our new friends, Mo Daley (educator/poet), and Kenneth Braswell (author/family engagement expert/photographer with a special emphasis on fathers), facilitated an Educator's Workshop after a very grand introduction from Kwame Alexander. We were so blessed to work with Kenyan educators from the Kamba region; their creativity, drive, connectedness, and commitment were unmatched. Also: They have a gorgeous maker space in their library equipped with sewing machines that has me tinkering with ideas of new additions in a few NYC libraries I know!!

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So, "Caps for Sale" is one of my children's absolute favorite read alouds. There is something so absolutely ridiculous about it--every time I read it, potently joyful laughter surfaces. When I found it in big-book form at the Kenya Connect library, my kids and I knew we had found "the one." (read aloud text, that is!). As per usual, the kids in Wamanyu had similar reactions to the kids in Brooklyn and the Midwest and LA. Side-bending laughter, gleeful eagerness. Side note: Did you know many people in Kenya are TRI-lingual? Most of the kids here speak Kamba at home, and when they get to be school-age, they learn English and Kiswahili. Basically, the bedrock of the entire nation's schooling is rooted in multilingualism. [The U.S. could learn something from this model!]

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If you are looking for Conrnelius, anywhere in the world, you can find him in a Middle School classroom.

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We were greeted with a specific warmth that could only come from Kenya. Teachers greeted us, kids delivered performances that rivaled any theatrical experience I've ever been to, and we were invited to read with kids (the best invitation to receive when you're on a school visit!). We also learned more about Kamba culture, and the kids were really excited to tell us about Lit Club!

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Jerry Craft, students from Nairobi, Kwame Alexander, and our very own Indira! 

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Nairobi has malls that rival the stuff we had in the States in the 80's and 90's. They are a whole experience, and you can find everything from South African designed sneakers to Japanese bakeries to electronic stores. AND you can also find "Textbook Centre," the Kenyan version of Barnes and Noble, where Kwame and Jerry did their writer-ly thing in total delight with smiling students, giddy expats, and of course, all of us teachers and writers and photographers looming about!

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Here's the whole kit and caboodle, and then some! 

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Here, we are about two hours from Nairobi. Folx from the Muthoki Lodge and Kenya Connect created a beautifully rich experience for us. We ate glorious coconut curried fish (and also spaghetti and also corn flakes), and at night, we planned the literacy experiences we were building out for the days ahead. This is the part of our trip where we ran into librarians from Wisconsin and Japan also working in partnership from Kenya Connect!