End of School Year Events

In addition to my travels to and around Somalia, the end of the school year always brings loads of activities and events that pack the calendar. The trick for me is always trying to participate in as much as possible, all the while navigating competing work priorities. Increasing activity on both sides creates schedule tensions.

Overall it worked out pretty well. I did miss a few things on both sides but, in the end, I think I was able to have meaningful participation in that which was most important.

 

Cross Country

One event that the school has each year is the cross-country competition, or “cross” as the French call it. Most kids don’t do much training outside their normal physical education classes. The few that do generally finish ahead of the rest.

 

Though I was an athlete in my youth, I do my best to avoid imposing it on my kids. It’s up to them to be drawn to it or not. Admittedly, cross country running wasn’t a big draw for me when I was young. Team sports were the big attraction. Running came to me later in life and it’s something I still do. Maybe, as time passes, it will catch on with my girls. Who knows. For now, we push them to exercise every day. It’s up to them what they do.

For now they are reasonably athletically inclined even without much dedication. Kinaya competed in June and finished fifth, a respectable placing given how little she did to prepare. The French school isn’t a hotbed for sports and as a result, there isn’t much peer pressure to excel as you would likely find in other schools. I remember a similar atmosphere at the school where I taught in Switzerland. Academic pressures? Indeed. Athletics? Not so much.

 

Karura

Nairobi is blessed with a large, forested area within the city limits. As more and more of the city’s trees are being sacrificed due to development (very much the case in our neighborhood), this area seems to be well protected so far. I fear that greed and corruption will continue to eat away at the trees around the city, but Karura Forest remains a sanctuary. 

dirty waterfall, fallen branches everywhere due to the storms

Though it’s in the city, it’s on the other side from where we live. We went more frequently when the girls were younger but less in the past couple of years. It’s our fault as well. We get busy with things and don’t always prioritize it. Nonetheless, we did spend some time there prior to our vacation. Every time we go, I’m reminded how noisy and dirty our neighborhood is. It’s such a contrast to escape to such a green and peaceful area. Hopefully, post-vacation we’ll make it more of a priority.

Performances

Given the rich cultural environment and support for the arts in France, generally speaking, one would think that French schooling overseas would reflect this richness. Alas, this is not the case. As with athletics, the school puts forth a rather dismal effort in these areas as well. Those students that are proficient in ballet, theater, singing, etc. tend to participate in clubs outside the school. 

Kiran on stage

 As with cross-country, when the school hosts an event, you get a mix of talented kids who have obtained these skills outside, or others that just show up and try to avoid cringe-worthy performances. Could this affect our school choice going forward? Possibly.  There are many things to like about the place. It’s just that as the girls are well into middle school, these gaps are beginning to loom larger.

 

End of year party

This is something that I think is done pretty well. On one of the last Saturdays of the school year, the school hosts an all-day party on the campus. It’s a mix of lots of activities and there are usually some good food options. Music. They have draft beer on tap and wine by the glass. Kids run wild with their friends. It’s generally a really nice atmosphere.

everyone talking at the same time

When we arrived in Nairobi seven years ago, the school was much more open and parents would hang out more with each other, often when picking up the kids. As security has become tighter, the campus is more complicated to access. As a result, the community spirit isn’t what it used to be. It’s unfortunate given the richness of the cultures that feed into a school like this. Events like this help foster these interactions but they don’t happen very often.

Kiran and her bestie