Life Lessons Learnt Abroad...I am coming Home

     Life Lessons Learnt Abroad..I'm coming home...


headed to a school thru the slums


           Upon my departure, My Kenyan friends told me I left a footprint that will never be erased...Wow, I am blessed to have been able to connect that deeply with a group of relative strangers....
           God was / is my guardian, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you can hide" Psalms 91:4.......I was well protected.....
          After months living in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa, I am headed home, to Derby, CT.  As the  747 - 400, double decker airplane attempts lift off, I am filled with mixed emotions.  I remember how excited I was to be going to serve in Africa, but this  time, headed home, the excitement is not the same....although   I am looking forward to seeing all my friends, family, and colleagues, back in the US, at the same time, I know it will be an emotional struggle  to re-integrate into a society that is so opposite what I have been living in for the last 3 months.  I am already missing the many intimate  friendships I made with the Kenyan's.... Although I lived in a "normal' house at night with all the amenities, including "House Help", during the day I worked deep in the slums of the Mathare Valley.... AND  Words and pictures simply can not describe it......  In the slums, there is no sewer and no running water, no washing machines, no bathrooms, no stoves, no sinks, no refrigeration, one bed for ten people, dirt floors in a tin shack; and maybe there is a small kerosene cook stove where rice is boiling.   They  lead such a simple, yet so difficult life, solely based on survival and lead by their deep faith.   In this survival mode, there is no room for "American" thinking.... Americans are loud. Many are materialistic, egocentrical, self centered, fast-paced and on their own "mission" to make "me" feel as comfortable as "I" need.  This outlook on life is completely the opposite of how I have been living for the last 2.5 months. My anxiety toward re-integration is real.
             As I did my first load of laundry on US soil, my mind kept flashing back to the many women, hand washing their clothes  and bathing their  children in a   small bin filled with  water they had lugged on their head for miles. As I drove home from  the airport, we passed a 32 foot fifth wheel trailer being pulled by an Ford 350;  a house on wheels used for vacationing, probably for two people.. that house could fit 12 families in Kenya. Now, as I navigate through the Internet at break net speed, I reminisce about the "wait" time required in Kenya, while navigating the Internet, and all the extra time I had for simple thinking, in silence, while I waited for my next click of the mouse to load.....It is amazing what we can do without.  We are all human beings..how can our experience of life be so opposite yet so much the same.
            



Me, doing a teacher training in Kenya

          My purpose on this missions trip was to develop and implement a system of Special Education in a country that is just now starting to acknowledge that special needs exists.  As an educational leader, I knew my leadership skills would be put to the test..and I passed with flying colors.  This was a big challenge and I learnt so much from these people.  I was successful in developing procedures and forms describing referral and assessment for students with special needs. Then  I held 23 teacher, parent,  and student trainings to inform all stakeholders of the new system.  The remainder of my time was dedicated to job embedded professional  development of their first special needs educator.   In Kenya, some teachers actually have been studying special needs in college but the K-12 school systems do not yet know how to use these teachers.  I was truly implementing a cutting edge system...and it is evolving. The new resource room was being painted as my plane lifted off.
           

           What lessons did I learn.......I learnt that leadership matters.   At any level, the leader  truly is the key to success.  A good leader is rarely seen. A servant leader stays in the pack with all their colleagues, as the pack moves toward their vision and aspirations.  At times, the leader needs to put forth a new idea, get stakeholder buy in and move the system forward. That is what I was able to do in a third world country; and I was successful. Another lesson I learnt was sustainability is key. A good leader puts columns in place to sustain the implemented changes.  In Africa, whenever I trained, or developed forms, or devised procedures, I had a Kenyan take the lead on the action because I knew I would not be there forever and I needed to know someone else could carry the torch. I learnt that no matter what I did do,  I am not indispensable.  Any job I have, I know I can be replaced. The Bible tells us, "Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself  or your importance" Romans 12:3 Phillips.  When a leader thinks they are indispensable, that is when they will start to crumble.  Leaders should never believe they are indispensable.  We are all replaceable.  However, some leaders are more successful than others;  I will always give 120% in life.


Faces I will miss in Kenya.....

            Clearly, excellent leaders have earned their status by producing successful outcomes.
               I thank all of you for your continued support while I was away.And I thank you for continuing to read my blog.   If you pass me on the street or at church, stop and say hello. I would be happy to share my experiences in more detail.
        
The Kenyans, with their deep faith remind me to follow Col. 3:2, "Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think  only about things down here on earth" 

Now to start a new adventure, back to work, as a Director of Special Education in Derby, CT.    I am sure it will not be without  its challenges, but I am also sure of another thing, I am a different person. I am confident in my leadership abilities, I have softened my views on what I "need" versus what I " want"; my outlook on life has changed dramatically..AND..........           

"Don't sweat the small stuff , and its all small stuff".....
I am coming Home.