KiD - Tagesablauf

Jambo,
my name is Ruth I am eight years old and I live in Diani. This is in Kenia, Africa, near the Indian sea.

Today I woke up very early on my own. Usually my sister Sheela wakes me up with her elbow, since I sleep with all my four siblings in one bed. I am very excited because tomorrow I am going to see all my old kindergarten mates. There we are going to take some pictures of us and that's the reason why my grandma is going to braid my hair today after school.

But now I am going to pure some water out of a big canister into a little bowl to wash myself. We do not have any running water or electricity. Our toilets are inside little wood houses at the end of our little street. I also still have to brush my teeth. And then I will light up a little fire in our small oven so my mom can make us some tee. Usually we have Ugali or maize pulp for breakfast but the maize flour is empty. Therefore I take a banana, my books and run up to the main street. I am wearing my blue-white school uniform. All students in Kenia wear school uniform but the look and the colors are different from school to school. On the main street, which leads to Ukunda where my school is, the school bus is already waiting for me. Once again I am the last one. Kid donates us money for the bus so we don't have to walk all the way there. Since the streets around here do not have any sidewalks, walking is very dangerous. A lot of children around here can't afford the money for the bus, the Matatu, that's how we call our little busses here, and after their long way home in the afternoon sun they are totally exhausted.

Now we (the older kid. Children) are going to a half private school. In the school in which we starte, we were over 70-80 students. We had to share one chair for four children. Our teacher was not able to teach us individually. That's why I often couldn't pay attention probably, and therefore learning was not so much fun. In kindergarten I liked to count and calculate.

Since the people from kid eV are paying the school fees, driving money, and the school uniforms, my mum has less concerns and I have fun learning. I am going to become a teacher or one of those hoteliers.

Because I am late today, I have to sit in the front. We have to fasten our seatbelts. In our country cars are driving on the left side. The streets are damaged, that's why the driver has to drive very carefully; and if the driver doesn't do so, we bounced. In school we only speak English. Elsewhere we are speaking Suaheli. Hopefully my homework is neat enough this time. Now the bus driver has to stop because a little boy is pushing his goats over the street. The one seems to be unwilling to do so.

Right next to our car is a little girl with a red white uniform, not older than four. I know this uniform; I used to wear it as I still was in the KiD eV kinder garden. This was a really great time.

My mother had heard that a kinder garden was to be build next to the small church. She asked a man who took care for the children, if I could go there. My father died and she and my grand mother had to care for five children on their own. In the kinder garden there was place for 16 children and I was one of them. That was really exciting but I was a bit scared as well. I got a school uniform, which was my first one, my own shoes and a hot meal everyday. I felt like a princess.

With the boss of the kinder garden, Mariam, we always sang little English songs. We also learned how to dress probably, how it is called in English, what we like to eat and played games. I also liked the numbers and letters, but doing that we always had to sit still, which I didn't like so much. As it was getting cold in the winter, about 20 degrees Celsius, we even got red sweater. That was great! But now we have blue sweaters, which match the rest of our school uniform, but they are bigger this time.

At home I was always playing with self made sheet metal cars together with my brother. In kinder garden we had little balls, pens, boxes, boards and even books with pictures. I liked to look at those. When we had a break, Miriam brought us bananas; the big ones, not those to cook with. And for lunch we had rice or vegetables.

My grandmother fetched me from school, or I walked home myself sometimes. Once I couldn't go to kinder garden because I had fever. My mum went to the man from the kinder garden to tell him that I won't come. He then gave her money for medication. My mother was crying, but I think it was of happiness because we wouldn't have been able to buy them by ourselves. In the following week I was already able to go back to kinder garden again.

Later on my grandmother told me that I also have another brother. But he also has had fever, but at that time my parents weren't able to buy medicine. I was sad and happy at the same time; I got flowers, Bogonvillen, for my mother. They grow everywhere. Then we were smiling again.

But then our kinder garden had to be placed somewhere else, which was ordered by the government, because they needed this area. But the new location of the kinder garden was even better, because it was nearer to my house.

As I turned six years it was time for me and some other children to leave the kinder garden and go to school. We were crying a little as we said goodbye but as we saw our new school uniform we were happy again.

And because we left other children could go to kinder garden then. They would do the things we did until they are old enough to go to school as well.

Now the little girl has disappeared. But we will see each other tomorrow at the photo day. I am a bit jealous of the girl, because I already saw the new location, which the Kid.Ev people bought. It is huge. A big house out of stone should be build there. And then it won't be as hot anymore in the summer, and the rain can't go through it. It also has taps and place to play and fool around. We are also allowed t come around, said mariam. And we can do our homework together or something like that.

Now we arrived at out new school. Agnes, my best friend, is already waiting for me. We have to tell us a lot and my hair still has to be made for tomorrow. But first of all I have to learn now. And I might become nursery school teacher and you may find me on one of the pictures.

Kwaheri
Your Ruth