13.1 October 15, 1967: from Frank to his folks

 13.1 Sunday, October 15

Dear Folks, (Frank writing to his folks)

We just finished the practice teaching and tomorrow we start teaching. At least we will have three days of classes, then a long weekend for mid term vacation and Kenyatta Day. We are going to Nairobi to buy groceries and to have the car tuned up over the vacation, so have the time pretty well taken up. The principal just got the teaching schedule up yesterday afternoon, and as far as I'm concerned it is a mess. I wish he had given me a crack at it. I think I could have done a much better job. In fact, I sat down this afternoon and in about two hours had a schedule that gave everyone an easier teaching load and the classes were better organized. I don't know why people want to make things so difficult. But let's face it, I guess that is another legacy from the British. They have to make everything at least 50% harder or more complicated or they don't think they have done anything. I shouldn't waste space talking about it.

We have the corn planted and are working on another part of the garden. Milton fixed himself a garden this morning about two feet square. He planted some beets, mixed in fertilizer and watered it. He is our chief garden waterer, he sees to it that everything gets soaked and besides that, he enjoys the mud. So far things are looking pretty good and far ahead of the school's plants that were planted before ours were. We put in potatoes which got almost 100% germination, where the school's looks like about 40%. We spaded the soil which they do not do. They use a grub hoe sort of thing and just loosen the soil. Then we leveled and drug it to compact the soil, and made furrows to irrigate. They sprinkle some (garden hose) but never get enough water to satisfy the demand which results from intense radiation. 

I had to build a shade over our new strawberry plants that we set out when we moved, because the leaves were sunburning. At least that's what I figured out was happening, and I only lost one plant. There are now strawberries setting on almost every other plant. Tomatoes suffer too, so the plants we set out, we put in the flower beds and under tree or house protection. The ones we put there are doing at least 50% better than the ones out in the open. Anyhow I am rather pleased to have some ideas on test plots that might work out.

The kids and I spent yesterday working in the Science store room. We took everything out and cleaned it, then reorganized so we could find what was there. Maybe no one else knows but we sure appreciate what we did. I will when we get into teaching! Some things hadn't been moved in that room for two or three years and the people just never think of cleaning up or organizing anything. 

A Canadian had this job before me, and he didn't do much either. He seemed to run his Science on the basis of whatever fancied him. So I have set up lists of topics in Science that are to be covered in the two years that we are here. Of course the principal hasn't seen it yet, but I don't think he would know if a Science course was good or bad. Well anyhow, Barb has fourteen periods a week of Domestic Science, and I have Science, Art and Crafts, and a class in how to use school broadcasts. I'm not sure I know anything about it, but I can put up a good bluff! I'm beginning to feel snowed under. I have some letters that I must write plus getting all this school started, garden planting, a few things I want to make for the house, test plot for crops, Science equipment to make -  really beginning to feel at home when I get that much to do and not enough time to do it!

The kids all made me birthday cards yesterday, even Kiva drew a few pictures. The cards were real cute and just as good as store-bought I think. Kiva got just as excited as ever over the birthday cake last night, big old shiny eyes at the other end of the table really twinkled in the candlelight. She seemed to get such a big kick out of having her card opened. 

Love, Frank