That will never happen to me: Fast Drying Underwear in three weeks of America

August 25, 2003 by Steve Peifer

It didn’t start well. My family bet on much weight I would gain on the trip. It might have been WISE, but it wasn’t SUPPORTIVE.

The transition from Africa to America is never an easy one. You are surrounded by people who have so little, and it’s so easy to feel guilty.

The flight attendant asked if I wanted the steak or the shrimp, and I started weeping. He responded by saying `It’s ok; you can have both.’...

A Chance for Change Part II: A Way Out

July 13, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Anyone who has been in Africa for awhile has that moment. You hit the steering wheel and just yell `Why? Why does it have to BE this way?’

Most of those moments occur when I’m at a school. I know how much of a struggle it is for parents to afford to send their children to get an education. The issue is: what do they get for their money?

The sad answer is that they don’t get much....

Fasting and Lean-To’s: Twins Turn Two

July 7, 2003 by Steve Peifer

We celebrated the twins 2nd birthday on July 6th. Last year we celebrated it on July 7th. It isn’t another quaint Kenyan tradition. The reason is pure Kenya.

The original documentation we had on the babies indicated they were born on July 7th. When we got closer to the adoption, we got information that one (we weren’t sure which one) was born on July 6th and one was born on July 7th. When the adoption was final,...

The Glory and the Folly

June 18, 2003 by Steve Peifer

The students left for school on Friday at noon. They weren’t due back until Monday afternoon, so it meant a long weekend. In the states, we could go camping in Tyler, or go to Six Flags, or hit the pool.

In Africa, you can drive just a few hours, and go to the largest game park in Kenya. We left about 7:15am on Saturday and arrived around 1:30pm. It was about 120 miles away. Even with a thirty minute...

Teenager Revolutionizes Diaper Changing Technology

June 8, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Nancy and I had a meeting to go to, and the older boys volunteered to watch the babies. It is truly heartwarming to see them together, except when the deed is done, and then there is great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Apparently, while we were gone, there was a major deed done.

We met the boys and the babies at the cafeteria. After we had eaten, JT invited us to `sniff Ben’s neck. When we did, he informed...

You are not young; Celebrating birthdays in Kenya

May 29, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Nancy and I had the opportunity to visit Empuet Nursery School, which is to our knowledge the only pre-school serving the Masai tribe. This is significant because the Masai are herdsmen, and do not believe in educating their children.

They do believe in free food, and because of this, many of their children are allowed to attend this school. It is special to us, because the church it is held in was built by one of our heroes, Jim...

Teaching Formal Dining Etiquette to 8th Grade Guys: Mission Impossible

May 24, 2003 by Steve Peifer

It’s been a month since my last email to you all. To my college roommate who inquired, I will tell him that the combination of changing software and computer systems took much longer than expected, with more bugs than a reasonable person might expect. To the rest of you who enjoyed the break, it’s over. Anyone who is interested in how I handled it might get an idea from watching the Hulk in theaters next month.

I knew there...

In Africa, do NOT touch the white man’s radio

April 25, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Last week, I was pretty impassioned about one of the RVA kids getting into Harvard, and loudly proclaiming that he was the first kid at RVA to get into the Ivy League. I checked this with the former superintendent, the present superintendent, the guidance director and the principal.

However, I did not check this with the coolest person on the planet, the person who did this job before me. She informs me that lo, not even two years ago,...

Stories from the Field

Stories
from the Field